By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: There was only a single recommendation to implement the Inner Line Permit (Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation, 1873) in Meghalaya as per the report of the High Level Committee on Influx, which is yet to be made public by the Government.
The High Level Committee (HLC) has recommended ‘Introduction of ILP throughout the State of Meghalaya through appropriate legislation which should include Garo Hills also, by looking into the legality of repeal order of 1897’. The ILP was repealed in Garo Hills in 1897.
The recommendation also said that ‘the proposed ILP could be structured in a manner that would facilitate the participation of traditional institutions, NGOs and civil society and due care be exercised so that genuine residents of the State should not be subjected to undue harassment’.
The report and the recommendation signed by Chairman of the HLC and former Deputy Chief Minister B.M Lanong, is yet to get the nod of the Government.
The Government has not made it clear whether it has accepted the report or rejected it.
As per the full report of the HLC on Influx available with The Shillong Times, the HLC had met on as many as five occasions to arrive at a conclusion on a mechanism to address the issue of influx.
The discussion at the fifth and last meeting of the HLC centered on ILP.
“The consensus across the board which crystallized over the meetings of the Committee was for introduction of ILP in Meghalaya including Garo Hills districts’, the report said.
According to the report, the Committee felt that as long as Garo Hills cannot be included under the ILP system due to the repealing act of 1897, the genuine people of Garo Hills should not be subjected to the requirement of obtaining a permit whenever they enter the ILP gates.
The HLC, after examining the report and recommendation of the TH Rangad-led Working Group Committee of February 2001, suggested that the Government should revisit some of its recommendations so that they can be implemented immediately.
Some of the recommendations of the Rangad Committee include further amendment to the Land Transfer Act, rectification of the Indo-Nepal treaty, introduction of identity cards and re-organization of the Prevention of Infiltration of Foreigners (PIF) scheme among others.
The HLC, during the final meeting, referred to the views of MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit, who said that ILP alone is panacea for influx. He advocated strict implementation of the Supreme Court order which stipulates that a tribal woman married to a non tribal male should no longer enjoy the rights and privileges of being a tribal. He also wanted only genuine Indian citizens and eligible residents of the State to be registered in the voters’ list.
According to the report, significantly, former legislator L Rymbui and former Chief Executive Member of GHADC, PK Sangma, were of the view that the State Government should bring in appropriate legislation which would encapsulate the basic principles of ILP and have it implemented uniformly across the State.
The report also referred to the suggestions of other members of HLC including Toki Blah and GP Wahlang. While Blah, through a power point presentation, suggested the need to go for a 3-tier colour based ID card system which will involve active participation of the people, Wahlang pointed out three options before the Government which included extension of Inner Line Regulation in the districts of Garo Hills so that ILP can be implemented in the entire State, implementation of 3-tier card system uniformly through appropriate legislation or a combination of both ILP and card system.
“While appreciating the cross-section of views put forward by the members of the Committee, the sense that emerged strongly was that the demand of introduction of ILP in the State should not be allowed to be diluted at this stage by a volley of recommendations. It was therefore resolved that the High Level Committee should submit only one single minded recommendation”, the report added.