SHILLONG, July 14: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Tuesday demanded the immediate implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, including the operationalisation of the facilitation centres at Umling and Ratacherra and activation of the District Task Forces.
It warned that the government would face a stronger agitation if it continued to delay the implementation of the Act.
Addressing reporters, KSU general secretary Reuben A. Najiar said the government should immediately make the facilitation centres functional, particularly those at Umling and Ratacherra, and activate all District Task Forces already notified under the Act.
He said the KSU would initially pursue dialogue with the government, but would also exert pressure to ensure that deputy commissioners activate the District Task Forces in their respective districts. He said although the MRSSA was enacted in 2016, the government had failed to fully implement it even after a decade.
Najiar noted that only partial implementation of the Act had taken place due to sustained pressure from the KSU and asserted that the student body would continue its campaign until the legislation was fully enforced.
According to him, the MRSSA is not intended to restrict the entry of people into Meghalaya but to maintain a record of those entering and leaving the state. He pointed out that the High Court of Meghalaya had not objected to the implementation of the Act.
On the government’s reported proposal to establish a food court at Umling where a facilitation centre was originally planned, he questioned the rationale behind converting a facility meant for registering visitors into a commercial establishment and accused the government of failing to prioritise the state’s security.
He maintained that operationalising the facilitation centres would also assist law enforcement agencies in tracking drug traffickers and other criminal activities.
Referring to information obtained through the Right to Information Act, Najiar said the state government had written to the Centre in 2019 and 2020 seeking the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP). According to the government, no response was received.
However, he said the Ministry of Home Affairs responded after the KSU had submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to him, this reflected the Centre’s greater responsiveness to the KSU than to the state government.
Reiterating the union’s stand, Najiar said the KSU wanted the facilitation centres at Umling and Ratacherra to be made operational and expanded to other entry points. He made it clear that the KSU would not accept food courts in place of the proposed facilities.
He said the MRSSA could not replace the ILP but stressed the need to implement it until the state was brought under the ILP regime.
He criticised the MRSSA, 2019, claiming that the government had introduced the amendment on the pretext of strengthening the law but it contained no significant additional provisions. He alleged that the amendment was intended to delay the effective implementation of the original 2016 Act and create confusion among the public.
