Concerned about illegal immigration but can’t answer on behalf of Centre on delay in ILP: Meghalaya CM

CM Conrad Sangma said that it is not just ILP but the state had passed the MRSSA too to address the issue of illegal immigration

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has expressed concern over the issue of illegal immigration in the state and said that his government has consistently pressed the Centre for the implementation of the Inner-Line Permit (ILP) system in the state and Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA).

Speaking exclusively to Northeast Live, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said, “ILP is an issue related to the concerns of illegal immigration into the state. I have always maintained that there are multiple mechanisms to look into to find ways and means to find out ways to stop illegal immigration. And hence, ILP is one of those policies which has been applicable in other parts of the country. Based on that we had passed a resolution. Apart from the ILP resolution we have also passed the MRSSA Act which was then sent by the Governor to MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs). We have been pursuing multiple options and policies through which we are able to achieve the ultimate goal which is to have some kind of control over illegal immigration”.

Despite the state’s constant push, Meghalaya is still waiting to implement ILP or the MRSSA. “I am not somebody who can reply on behalf of the Home Minister or the Government of India. You should ask the Centre. The answer lies with them,” said CM Sangma regarding why Centre is taking so long to clear ILP and MRSSA.

Recently the Hynniewtrep Youth Council also demanded for an explanation asking the Chief Minister to clarify on the reason why the Centre has delayed implementation of ILP in Meghalaya.

The Chief Minister said that tourism sector will be impacted once ILP is implemented. The sector will need certain permissions, but the CM assured that the state government would continue to work towards improving the sector’s performance.
“Tourism will have some effect because of ILP. They will need some permissions. But it is not necessary that we connect these two stories. I would like to stress that tourism is the main area for revenue generation as well as for the employment of the state, hence we (the government) will continue to ensure and push tourism in the right direction, and we will work hard to improve the overall tourism infrastructure,” the CM said.

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