SHILLONG, July 20: “No ILP, no rest”, CoMSO chairman Robertjune Kharjahrin asserted on Tuesday, making it clear that they would not stop until the Centre accedes to their demand and grants the Inner Liner Permit to Meghalaya.
The statement from the CoMSO leader comes just days ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to the state on July 24.
Pro-ILP groups here have been anxiously waiting for a final word from the Union Home Minister on the state’s long-pending demand for ILP.
“Our stand is clear. We will not stop until and unless the central government grants us ILP,” Kharjahrin said while adding that implementation of ILP was not only the stand of the NGOs or the people of the state but also the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly which had passed a resolution in this regard.
CoMSO has already sought an appointment with the Union Home Minister to discuss the matter but there has been no confirmation so far, Kharjahrin said.
“We are prepared to meet and hold discussions with him (Shah),” he said while adding that if the Union Minister meets them it should not be mere formality. “We should be given quality time as such an important issue cannot be discussed in 10-15 minutes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kharjahrin also said that the group would push for a meeting with Assam CM and North East Democratic Alliance convenor, Himanta Biswa Sarma over the demand for ILP.
“There are rumours that Assam is objecting to implementation of ILP in Meghalaya. We would like to discuss the matter with him,” he said.
