SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has already sought an appointment with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the ILP resolution but a response is awaited.
Talking to media persons after meeting Assam Public Works (APW), a leading rights group of Assam on Friday, Sangma said that the official resolution of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly which was passed for implementing ILP in the state would go to the Ministry of Home Affairs but he would also carry a copy of it as the same can be taken up whenever he gets an appointment with the home minister.
ILP for entire NE
Earlier, the president of APW Abhijeet Sharma said that the group is proposing one Inner Line Permit for the entire North East region for which a checking point can be setup at the chicken neck (Siliguri corridor) along the Assam-West Bengal border.
He also said together with other Northeastern states, they can save the region.
After the Assembly passed the resolution on ILP on Thursday, the Assembly Secretariat has sent the official resolution on Friday to the state political department which will forward the same to the union home ministry.
Victory yet to be
achieved: CoMSO
Chairman of Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) Robert June Kharjahrin said the ILP resolution adopted by the Assembly should not be taken as victory.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, he said the resolution passed by the Assembly is a good step but added that the demand to implement ILP by the Centre will continue.
He urged MPs from the state – Vincent Pala and Agatha Sangma – to follow up on the ILP resolution. He hoped the Centre will do justice to the indigenous people of the state.
“The demand for ILP is the demand of the people. The MLAs and the MPs should lead from the front”, he said.
Other than ILP, the CoMSO chief also supported National Register of Citizens (NRC) with the cut-off year of 1971.
“There should be the principle of triple D which is detect, delete and deport”, he said.
As for other laws that will protect the indigenous community, Kharjahrin said that Meghalaya Land Transfer Act should be strengthened. In this connection, he observed that the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 should be reviewed to allow only the Hynniewtrep and Achik to own lands.
Regarding the Meghalaya Benami Transactions Prohibition Act, 1980, he said it is still weak.
The Assembly last year passed the Meghalaya (Benami Transactions Prohibition) (Amendment), Bill, 2018, during the autumn session and in the existing definition of the Meghalaya Benami Transactions Prohibition Act, 1980, two new clauses have been inserted namely, Benamidar and beneficial owner.
Benamidar means a person or a fictitious person as the case may be, in whose name the benami property is transferred or held and includes a person who lends his name while beneficial owner means a person, whether or not his identity is known, for whose benefit the benami property is held by the benamidar.
Observing that ILP cannot protect the interest of the tribals in terms of trade, preserving the customs and traditions, he said that the Trading by Non-tribal (Regulation), 1954 should be fairly implemented by the Autonomous District Councils of Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills.
Kharjahrin was of the opinion that there should not be any distinction of tribal or non-tribal land but the entire state of Meghalaya should be made into a tribal land.
Voting in place of origin
Making a suggestion to protect and safeguard the interest of the tribal community, Kharjahrin said that there should be a system of voting in the place of origin and asserted that political autonomy should be practiced in the state.
