SHILLONG: The 13 pro-Inner Line Permit (ILP) groups are dismayed to find that nothing has been done till date by the state government to set up entry and exit points to keep a check on illegal immigrants.
“We are not satisfied with the functioning of the state government. It has been for more than four years and nothing has been done as yet to set up the entry and exit points,” KSU president Lambok Marngar said on Wednesday.
As many as 18 entry and exit points are supposed to be set up in three phases. “We want that the phase 1 should be completed. Phase 1 includes places like Malidor (East Jaintia Hills), Byrnihat (Ri-Bhoi) and Athiabari (Meghalaya-Assam border).”
He maintained that there should be some progress as the state government had already identified land for setting up entry and exit points in some parts of Jaintia Hills District, even as he said that the government did not provide a clear picture with regard to putting up the entry and exit point in certain places.
Reacting to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma’s statement that ILP campaigners should keep a watch at RSS, Marngar asserted that the pro-ILP groups viewed influx as a general issue and not only pointed towards RSS.
He added that there were several occasions in which the members of the union got arrested after they had checked work permit and residential permit of suspected illegal immigrants.
“The state government should empower the NGOs to conduct inspection of illegal immigrants and the state government should not intervene at that time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), president, Sadon Blah said, “At least, the CM has accepted the reality of influx of migrants in the state. But we don’t want to take influx as a political agenda of any political party. It is not just the RSS even Muslim immigrants are also there.”
On the other hand, pointing that the rules for the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Bill has been framed, Marngar said that till date the state government did not give any instructions to the district administrations to constitute a District Task Force.
Influx of migrants from Assam to Meghalaya
With Assam having released the first part draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), suspicions were raised that those who had not been recognized as citizens of Assam would cross over to seek refuge in Meghalaya.
In this connection, Marngar pointed to the need for the state government to take up the matter of influx of illegal immigrants seriously.
Echoing the voices of the 13 organizations, the breakaway faction of KSU, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) in a separate press conference told reporters that Meghalaya was a safe haven for the suspected illegal immigrants from Assam.
Observing that Meghalaya would be the first victim of NRC from Assam, general secretary of HYC, Robert Kharjahrin observed that the immigrants would not prefer states like Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram that had ILP in place while Manipur was on alert against possibility of immigrants coming from Assam.
“The consequence of NRC will be mass influx of people from Assam to Meghalaya. Hence, ILP and other legislations should be implemented in the state,” general secretary of HYC Robert Kharjahrin said.
The pro-ILP groups and HYC have called the traditional institutions to be immigration watchdogs,” he added.
ILP demand
Marngar reiterated the organizations’ demanded for the implementation of ILP even as they continued their demand for comprehensive mechanisms to check influx of migrants.
“ILP will remain ILP and comprehensive mechanism will remain as comprehensive mechanism,” he said.