By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 27: The Cabinet ministers and MLAs from Jaintia Hills have come under fire from the Meghalaya People’s United Front (MPUF) for not taking a unified stance on the proposal to establish railways in the East Jaintia Hills area.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, MUPF president Dapoiwanmi Laloo asked the MLAs and Cabinet ministers to prioritise bringing developmental projects and addressing people’s problems rather than trying to persuade people of the advantages of railways.
Whether it is freight or passenger trains, he believes that the issue of the influx of people from outside will continue to be the main cause for concern.
According to Laloo, unless a robust and efficient system is put in place to preserve and safeguard the state’s indigenous people, the opening of the railway line will put the district and the state at risk from the inflow of outsiders.
“In order to implement ILP in the state, we would like the state government to work with the Centre. Additional measures must be developed to prevent illegal immigrants from entering from nearby nations like Bangladesh,” he said.
While acknowledging that they would not discount the many benefits that the state would receive from the construction of railways, he added that the government will not devise a number of ways to deal with the issue of immigration, particularly the adoption of ILP.
In the meantime, he declared that if the problem of immigration is not resolved, they will keep opposing the construction of railways.
“We would strongly recommend that the state government concentrate on promoting development within the district rather than concentrating on establishing railways within the district,” the MPUF president added.
