SHILLONG, June 25: Is the protracted ILP dream of Meghalaya going to become reality?
There is no firm word from New Delhi as yet. But there may be a glimmer of hope, if we go merely by a junior central minister’s statement made in Shillong on Wednesday.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, who himself comes from the Northeast region, said to the effect that all unresolved state demands are currently under active consideration of the Government of India.
Since “all demands” include ILP, will it be prudent to draw any firm conclusion? Since the assurance has come from the junior minister familiar with Meghalaya’s aspirations, it will be naive to ignore it altogether.
Official and political circles refused to comment on the issue saying that they have no wind of it. Some even dismissed it as mere speculation.
With a huge boom in tourist footfall in the state, particularly in the context of the recent sensational honeymoon murder at Sohra, there is growing feeling of regulating the tourist entry through official mechanism
The state government, in the absence of ILP, is contemplating to fall back on its own legal mechanism called Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA).
The Meghalaya Assembly had in 2019 unanimously passed a resolution to urge the Centre to implement ILP in the state.
Various organisations, including KSU, FKJGP and HYC, besides regional political leaders have been vocal on the ILP issue for the past many years.
These organisations argue that ILP is crucial to safeguard the indigenous tribals, their land and identity from unregulated influx.
