SHILLONG: Breaking his silence on the ordinance on Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2019 that was sent to him for approval, Governor Tathagata Roy on Thursday said that he has already returned it pointing out certain drawbacks to the government.
The state Cabinet had passed the Act last year.
Speaking to media persons here, Roy said it was incorrect to say he was sitting on the ordinance.
“I have pointed out certain problems about implementing the MRSSA”, he said adding the provisions clashed with central laws. “There are no rules. An Act cannot be implemented without the statutory rules. The statutory rules need to be put in place. What would be the point of having the Act without the rules. It has to be seen if the rules are implementable or not,” he said.
He, however, said that these are matters for the elected government to decide and he can only suggest.
The state government had on Wednesday said it would regularise the ordinance during the upcoming Budget session starting from March 13.
“If they pass the ordinance in the Assembly by a duly constituted majority and if they send it to me for assent then I have no alternative but to send it back for observation. But after that I have no alternative but to give my assent… the elected government will have to face the consequences,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone had stated that the MRSSA ordinance will ultimately become an Act when it is again rectified by the Assembly.
The MDA government had approved the amendments to the MRSSA, 2016 in the form of the ordinance to register outsiders coming into the state.
As per the new Act, any person who is not a resident of Meghalaya and intends to stay more than 24 hours in the state will have to furnish information to the government even as it claimed that this is done for their (outsiders) own interest as well as for the interest of the government and people of Meghalaya.
