Shillong: While the NGOs of the State are adamant on the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the State to check influx, the sports and Youth Affairs Minister Zenith Sangma has advocated for strengthening of existing laws to check the problem.
Talking to media persons here recently, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister and Congress leader Zenith Sangma said, “Lot of mechanism and provision of law can be effectively implemented to check influx.”
He also defended the fact that the Government earlier had invited the NGOs for discussions and discussed the pros and cons of the problem. It may be mentioned that the talks between the Government and the NGOs over ILP failed miserably as NGOs were adamant to discuss only ILP and nothing else whereas the Government was harping on the Tenancy Act to check influx into the State.
Reacting to a query, he said that the impact and side effects of ILP has been repeatedly explained by the Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma to the people of the State and even the NGOs.
“It should be the individuals who should fight for their rights,” Sangma told reporters.
The impasse over the ILP is yet to reach its logical conclusion with both parties remaining adamant on their stand that the ILP that would put restriction on the entry of individuals into the State of Meghalaya and NGOs are continuously calling for agitations which has affected the poor and common men in many ways.
It may be mentioned that in the latest developments, the UDP, East Khasi Hills expressed its strong-will about writing to the State Government to resolve the ongoing impasse by inviting the pro-ILP groups for the impending dialogue.
“We would also impress upon the Government that the State needs a mechanism like the ILP to check the unabated influx and inflow of illegal immigrants to protect the identity and interest of the local indigenous people,” Senior UDP leader RA Lyngdoh who was re-elected as the president of the UDP East Khasi Hills said during the general council meeting on Friday.
