SHILLONG/ NONGPOH: Fed up with the state government’s apathetic attitude to put in place a comprehensive mechanism to check influx, disgruntled pressure groups from Ri Bhoi district “set up” their own facilitation centre at Umling along the Guwahati-Shillong highway on Thursday.
Sources said that the facilitation centre was later “stopped” from functioning following intervention of the district administration and police.
Ri Bhoi Superintendent of Police, Nazarius Lamare, however, denied that the NGOs had set up any facilitation centre in the area.
“It is not true. They were staging a demonstration and had gathered there for about 45 minutes,” the SP said, adding that he had rushed to the area and that the NGO leaders dispersed from the site later.
Among the groups which staged the protest are Khasi Students Union (KSU), Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) and Ri Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF).
Sources from the government also said that the Meghalaya home minister, Lahkmen Rymbui has sought a report from the department regarding the claim by the NGOs about setting up the facilitation centre.
Meanwhile, KSU president, Lambok Marngar said that the students union and other groups in the state want the state government to expedite the entire process of implementing the comprehensive mechanism, including construction of the entry and exit points to check influx, which has been a long pending issue.
“We want to send a strong message that if the government is trying to play games and delay implementation of the mechanism, we will move forward and conduct checking on our own,” Marngar asserted.
Expressing concern over the silence on the resolution passed by the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly for implementing ILP in the state, the KSU leader said that the union wanted the state government to aggressively pursue the matter with the Centre.
“We have influx as a virus which we are fighting for long and though COVID-19 is an issue, influx is the main issue in the state which should be addressed immediately,” the KSU president said.
On the recent announcement of the government that a prefabricated entry point at Umling would be constructed within 60 days, the KSU chief said that the union only believed in action and not words.
“We hope the 60 days does not turn into 60 months,” he added, reiterating that the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, which has been in existence since 2016, should be implemented in letter and spirit.
Asked if the government is not efficiently dealing with the issue of influx, he said, “How can we say that the government is on the right track in the absence of a proper mechanism.”
Speaking to media persons, RBYF president, Bipul Thangkhiew, said the organisations were deeply concerned and disappointed at the recent move of the state government to de-sanction the construction of entry point at Umling, “which clearly shows that the government is not serious enough on the issue.”
He said that there was optimism after the government had in its order on October 1, stated that the entry point would be constructed with a fabricated structure and completed within 60 days.
“However, even a week of the order, the government has done nothing, which prompted us to set up our own facilitation centre to check illegal entry of outsiders into the state.
The NGO leaders further warned the state government that if the entry point was not completed within the timeframe of 60 days, they would be compelled to set up a permanent facilitation centre at Umling.
