ILP ball lying in Centre’s court: Conrad

SHILLONG, April 19: Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma on Monday reiterated that the ball is lying in the Centre’s court as far as the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya is concerned.
“The ball is lying in the Centre’s court and I would urge the various organizations to move forward by meeting officials and leaders in New Delhi and pursuing the issue along with the state government,” Sangma said.
The statement comes a week after the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations had staged a demonstration before the Secretariat over the delay in the implementation of ILP.
Denying reports that the members of the pressure group stormed the Secretariat, the CM said they staged a peaceful demonstration. He, however, said it was not proper since the organisation had not obtained prior permission for the event.
Reiterating that the state government has made its stand clear by way of unanimously passing a resolution in the Assembly endorsing ILP, Sangma said the government is still pursuing the matter with the Central government.
Earlier, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah had promised to visit Shillong in March to discuss the demand with the organisations. However, he did not show up and this caused widespread disappointment.
Sangma said Shah could not visit the state due to West Bengal elections. He said the state government is hopeful that the Union Home Minister would visit the state soon.