SHILLONG, June 27: With pressure groups time and again raising the demand for inner line permit in Meghalaya, the state government has made it clear that the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) is already in place and would prove to be a more effective mechanism in checking influx.
Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh emphasised that the MRSSA is a state law that has been debated by the government and the State Assembly, and is an improvement upon the ILP due to its drafting by modern lawmakers.
He made it clear that MRSSA is not a substitute or adjunct to the ILP.
He also noted that the ILP emerged from the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, which was framed by colonel rulers.
The MRSSA allows the state Assembly to make amendments as needed, a flexibility that the colonial-era ILP cannot match, he said.
Lyngdoh confirmed that a cabinet sub-committee is drafting amendments to add more teeth to the MRSSA, aiming to screen dubious entrants without throttling genuine tourism.
