All-party meet favours govt initiative to check influx
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday said that the amended Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act would provide for registration of people who come to the state to stay.
Talking to media persons, he said it will regulate the entry and exit of the people and allow the government to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of the state and the individuals who come here.
The chief minister was speaking after an all-party meeting to discuss the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) and amendments to the Meghalaya Residents Act and Sixth Schedule.
Asked about the Opposition’s demand for immediate implementation of the Residents Act, Sangma said there’s a process involved in its amendment and implementation and it cannot be just done at the press of a button.
“We require different mechanisms and a task force needs to be put in place,” he said adding it requires coordination.
“At the same time we feel that while this process is on, we need to amend the Act in a manner which will give more teeth to it,” the chief minister said while reiterating that the government wants to ensure that it protects the interest of the people, takes care of constitutional amendment and ensures minimum inconvenience to those visiting the state.
On the construction of the facilitation centres in the state, the chief minister said that a lot of work is taking place now even though things were very slow in the past 4-5 years.
“In the last 7-8 months, things have moved fast and even the entry and exit point at Mendipathar railway station is under construction and we just hope that things would move faster,” he said.
Sangma also informed that all the political parties, including the Congress, were positive about the amendments to the Residents Act and the government would incorporate their views.
