Committee to examine MRSSB to address Centre’s concerns

SHILLONG, April 20: The Meghalaya government constituted all-party committee (APC) will now examine the provisions in the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which drew objection from the Home Ministry.
“The MRSSB was returned to us by the Ministry of Home Affairs and it now falls on us how to sort this out because the central government has categorically mentioned that this law should not overlap or affect the fundamental rights of Indian citizens because Meghalaya is a transit state,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Sunday.
“The government will now sit and examine the matter properly and I hope that we can come up with an alternative that protects our people and, at the same time, ensures security of the people,” he said.
Informing that the MRSSB is being discussed at various levels, he said it will also be taken up by the APC for discussion.
Stating that the APC was formed not just for political parties, he said they would also be soliciting views of the stakeholders and traditional heads to get the best suggestions suited for all.
In March this year, the HYC had warned the state government that if it does not call a meeting of the stakeholders to examine the status of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as soon as possible, it will be forced to agitate in response to the government’s inaction and slack attitude regarding the state’s influx problem.
In a letter to the CM, the president of HYC stated, “We were informed that the state government under your leadership will convene a meeting of all stakeholders to discuss the said observations and the way forward.”
Synrem added that the CM had stated on December 13, 2023, that the government is seeking legal advice to re-examine the Bill in accordance with the Union Home Ministry’s remarks and directives, and that a meeting with interested parties will take place “after the new year.”
“However, it has been nearly 16 months since our meeting with the Deputy Chief Minister, and as of right now, we do not know if any such meeting was ever held with the stakeholders, or if it was, we were not informed of it,” the HYC president stated.