By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The National People’s Party (NPP) has demanded immediate implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya saying that the system should be enforced until the State Government comes up with a comprehensive mechanism to check influx.
Addressing a press conference here after a meeting of the State Executive committee of the party, NPP leader Conrad Sangma sought to downplay the ill-effects of ILP on the State’s tourism industry and said,
“If we are going to let go off our identity for the sake of tourists then we need to think on a larger perspective.”
Commenting on the State Government’s plans to enforce the ‘Foreigners Act’ and the ‘Tenancy Act’ while keeping the ILP at bay, Conrad said, “We are in favour of ILP at the moment.”
The NPP also took a serious view of the fact that Meghalaya’s population growth is the highest in the country.
“We want to know whether the population is growing because of natural birth or illegal immigration and a study must be conducted to find out the truth,” NPP leader James Sangma said.
The party, while taking strong exception to the present law and order situation in Garo Hills and the State as a whole, advised the State Government to make efforts to bring the different militant groups to the negotiation table.
Earlier, the NPP State Executive Committee adopted twelve resolutions that included opposition to the use of Electronic Voting Machines in State elections and resolution of the vexed inter-state boundary dispute with Assam.
“We don’t want talks but we want action from the Chief Minister,” James Sangma said.
The NPP leaders also rued the fact that the new districts do not have any infrastructure in terms of offices.
Taking strong note of the spiraling cost of essential commodities in the country, the NPP said that the Food Security Ordinance will not commensurate with price rise of essential commodities and the State Government should come up with measures to arrest price rise in Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, the party expressed its stiff opposition to the Government’s plans of constructing a dam over the Simsang river at Daribokgre. Expressing fears that rampant construction of dams could bring about an Uttarakhand-like situation in Meghalaya, James demanded that the catchment areas must be preserved.
The NPP also accused the State Government of meting out gross injustice to the land owners who have parted with their land for the National Highway 44 (E) project by not paying the compensation on time.
The opposition party also accused the Education department of being complacent in monitoring the functioning of the private universities in the State.
The party has also decided to oppose the delimitation of the district council constituencies.
Purno also bats for ILP: NPP president Purno Agitok Sangma also batted for the immediate implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya.
“We are not going into the merits and demerits of the ILP. We can implement the ILP as a stop gap arrangement till the time the Government is able to put in place a fool proof mechanism to address the problem of influx,” Sangma said while speaking to reporters here on Friday.
He has made it clear that the NPP is not against people coming to work in the State but the party is against those who want to permanently settle in Meghalaya.
“There are 10 million Indians who are working in the Middle East but all have proper permits; so when the time ends they have to return,” the former Lok Sabha Speaker pointed out.