SHILLONG: Militancy, the state’s border dispute with Assam and influx of illegal immigrants featured in Governor Ganga Prasad’s speech in the House on Friday.
During his address on the first day of the Assembly session, Prasad referred to the recent surrender of eight senior cadres of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) and lauded the state police, who collaborated with central forces, for doing their duty with alacrity despite the difficult terrain and poor communication infrastructure.
He also praised the government’s initiatives to help cadres of different militant organisations join the mainstream and take advantage of the government rehabilitation package.
According to Prasad, the efforts of the Police Department have led to several arrests and surrender of militants and other criminal gangs as well as recovery of huge cache of arms and ammunitions. The governor pointed out that involvement of the church and community leaders, along with the district administration and police, “has yielded positive results”.
He observed that “law and order in the state is, by and large, peaceful”.
Border dispute
Areas of differences along the Assam-Meghalaya border are being monitored continuously while efforts are on to solve the differences, Prasad said in the Assembly.
He added that effective mechanisms at the level of chief ministers and chief secretaries of both the states have been created for securing a permanent solution to the problem.
At the same time, he pointed out that administration at the district and the local levels in both the states have on many occasions actively resolved problems along the inter-state border, thereby ensuring peace and order in the areas of differences. ) Stating that the International border remained peaceful due to improved relations with the neighboring country, the governor said the state is committed to completing the remaining fencing on the international border at a fast pace.
In this connection, people will be taken into confidence to effectively contain influx of Bangladeshi nationals and trans-border movement and activities of militants and anti-social elements.
The governor also added that the state government is also in the process of implementing a new initiative of creating facilitation centres at various entry and exit points on the interstate border with Assam to check the entry of illegal migrants and other suspicious persons into Meghalaya.