Local bodies meet DC over delay
SHILLONG: The delay in establishing District Task Force (DTF) in East Khasi Hills, compelled a group of organisations to meet East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Matsiewdor War on Friday.
Members of the KSU, Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) and Federation of Khasi Jaintia Garo People (FKJGP) apprised the DC that Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act passed in 2016 sought to establish the District Task Force to keep a tab on illegal immigrants.
However, after the meeting, the organisations were surprised to learn that DCs of respective district have not received the rules of the DTF.
Irked at the delay of submitting the rules to the respective heads of districts, KSU president, Lambokstarwell Marngar said, “The Secretariat is not a stockroom of documents. Any laws passed should be implemented. The notification on District Task Force was issued on September 10 last year, if the DCs say
they have not received any instruction it means the notification is still pending in the Secretariat.”
Marngar informed that as per the organisation, the District Task Force was constituted only in East and South West Khasi Hills.
War assured the delegation that at the end of the month, the District Task Force will be enforced.
Marngar said that the enforcement of the District Task Force will lead to identification of illegal migrants and this will help the police department to detect crime especially the rising drug menace.
President of FKJGP Wellbirth Rani questioned the sincerity of the government as it took nearly a year to approve the rules of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016.
Questioning the delay that went into enforcement of the Act, he said, “We cannot be mere spectators.”
He pointed to the slow progress of development of infrastructure of the entry and exit point in Umling and said, “We are running out of patience and we want to see fruits.”
With the delay in the setting up of entry and exit point, he said the NGOs maintained that since the entry and exit point are taking too long, he demanded the enforcement of the rules of the District Task Force immediately to check illegal migrants.