By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The ten NGOs, who are spearheading a movement for implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the State, are apprehensive about the High Level Committee (HLC) constituted by the State Government to find out the ways and means for tackling influx of illegal migrants.
“We have seen the fate of earlier committees constituted by the Government in the past. The worst part is that no one bothers to implement the recommendations made by various committees. At the end of the day, the efforts of these committees go waste,” FKJGP working president Joe Marwein told reporters after a meeting of the ten NGOs here on Monday.
Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, making a suo-moto statement in the Assembly recently, announced the committee would be headed by Deputy Chief Minister, in-charge Law, Bindo M Lanong.
The mandate of this Committee would be to review the situation of influx in the State and also to suggest a multi-pronged strategy, both long-term and short-term, and a practical approach to tackle the menace.
Marwein said the NGOs, however, would attend the meeting of the committee.
“But at any point of time if we are convinced that the reason for constituting the committee is only to buy time then we would immediately back out. It would also be the last occasion where the NGOs would participate for discussion in such committees,” FKJGP working president said.
KSU president Daniel Khyriem, however, said the main reason which prompted the NGOs to be part of the committee is that they would still like to work in close coordination with the Government in tackling the burning problem of influx.
“But if the Government is not serious to address the issue then we would be left with no option but to adopt some other stringent steps to see that our concerns are being addressed in the right perspective,” Khyriem said.
The KSU president also made it clear that they would pressurize the Government to put in place an effective mechanism to tackle this problem within a specific period of time.
“We would want the Government to do it within the next few months,” Khyriem said.
Stating that Chief Minister on numerous occasions had expressed his reservation to the ILP, he said that the NGOs welcome the institutionalized mechanism as proposed by Dr Sangma.
‘But our suggestion is that institutionalized mechanism should be a blend of ILP and other effective measures. As concerned NGOs, we all feel that the ILP is a time tested mechanism in some States of the Northeastern region to check the problem of influx,” KSU president said.
When asked about the three-tier card system as suggested Independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri in the Assembly, the KSU president said that they are never against the three-tier card system.
While criticizing the Government for disallowing the extension of the sitting of the House during the recently concluded Autumn Session of the Assembly, the FKJGP working president said that this negative attitude of the Government is sending a wrong signal to people especially when three resolutions are moved by concerned legislators on the issue of ILP.
The Government also constituted an official Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, WMS Pariat whose responsibility is to examine, inter-alia, the current laws and practices of tenancy and suggest specific measures to regulate the problem of influx.