TURA: A public consultation exercise in Garo Hills on the controversial Inner Line Permit (ILP) was held at Tura circuit house on Tuesday evening which was attended by Meghalaya Home Minister Roshan Warjri. The meeting, however, turned out to be a one sided affair as the pressure groups demanding implementation of ILP skipped the meeting.
It may be mentioned that the draft of the proposed Regulation of Landlord and Tenancy Act will be placed on public domain on October 3.
The State Government has sought the suggestions and views of the people of the state to engage effectively so that appropriate suggestions can be incorporated into the final draft.
Warjri said government was very serious in addressing the issue of influx. She added that though there are laws to check influx, implementation of these laws have not been in the right direction.
The Home Minister said “The Regulation of Landlord and Tenancy Act is a mechanism where all existing laws will be synergized and structured in a manner that would involve traditional institutions and take into confidence all stakeholders.”
She added that the proposed bill is a practical one and achievable and appealed to all to consider the demerits of ILP. She also urged people to give their suggestions once the draft of the bill is placed in the public domain.
Giving a brief history and context of ILP, renowned historian and senior citizen, Prof Milton Sangma said the provisions of Inner Line Regulations of 1873 and 1876 cannot be followed in Toto as conditions are different today and what was relevant then is irrelevant now.
Chairing the meeting West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Pravin Bakshi, said that the government is keen to interact with the people on the issue.
