By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 24: Nine pressure groups from Khasi-Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills regions resolved on Wednesday to go ahead with their move to implement the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, on their own to check the flow of migrant labourers and illegal immigrants into the state.
The decision was made at a meeting of the pressure groups, comprising KSU, FKJGP, HNYF, RBYF, JSU, GSU, FAF, AJYWO and ADE, in Shillong.
After the meeting, KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar told reporters that the pressure groups will implement MRSSA on their own across the state as the government is ‘not serious’.
“Maybe, the government is not able to do it due to manpower shortage. We are going to conduct a drive to check if the migrant labourers possess work permit and other valid documents,” Marngar said.
He said they are upset because the government has done nothing to implement MRSSA despite it becoming an Act in 2016. He slammed Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for his claim to the media that the Act is already being implemented.
“But when we met him, he told us the Centre is still examining the proposed amendment to the Act. The government has also not really pushed the Centre to implement ILP in the state even after the resolution passed by the Assembly in 2019,” Marngar said.
In the opinion of HYNF president Sadon K Blah, the state government has regretted legislating MRSSA since it will have a negative impact on its vote-banks.
“As far as MRSSA is concerned, everything is clearly specified on the setting up of the entry and exit points and the formation of the district task force. But nothing has been done to implement it,” Blah said.
He said they had high hopes when the government went ahead with the process of land acquisition for the setting up of necessary infrastructure for the entry and exit points.
The HNYF president alleged the government had misled the leaders of the pressure groups by claiming that the infrastructure put up at Ri-Bhoi to check the entry of people during the Covid-19 pandemic was the entry and exit point to implement MRSSA. Asking if the Chief Minister is saying that the migrant labourers do not need work permits, he said the provisions of MRSSA have clearly defined that people from outside will need to obtain permission and produce documents to enter the state.
According to him, the Chief Minister’s statement amounts to challenging the provisions of MRSSA and the existing provision of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979.
Blah said the government is now hiding by giving an excuse that it cannot implement the Act as it is being amended.
“You are talking about amendment when the principal Act of MRSSA has not been implemented even for a single day,” he said.
He also said that if the government is serious about addressing concerns pertaining to influx, it should have implemented the existing Act even while the amendment is under the Centre’s examination.
Blah said MRSSA goes in line with ILP. “But the Centre is silent on the demand for implementing ILP,” he said.
He said the government will always say that the activities of the pressure groups have affected tourism in the state.
“I want to ask if the delay in the repair of the Umiam bridge will not impact the tourism sector since tourists are left stranded on the road for hours. My question is if bad roads will not affect tourism,” Blah said.
FKJGP president Dundee Cliff Khongsit said they have been for long asking the government to have a strong legislation to address the problem of influx and illegal immigration.
“We have decided to carry out a drive against the migrant labourers as we have witnessed the lack of seriousness on the part of the government to keep track of the migrant labourers who have entered the state,” he added.