‘Meghalaya being a transit route for other states a key challenge’
Shillong, Apr 4: Cabinet minister and government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh has underscored the need for the state government to address the queries raised by the Centre and show that it is in a position to implement the inner line permit (ILP).
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Lyngdoh informed about chief minister Conrad K Sangma’s meeting with union home minister Amit Shah on the issue, and said, “It is not that the Centre is against idea of ILP per se.”
Referring to Centre’s queries on the ILP proposal, he said, “These queries are important for us to address and to satisfy the Centre that we are in a position to actually implement ILP, once the Centre agrees to it.”
One the key queries is as to how the ILP can be implemented in Meghalaya, which serves as a transit route for Mizoram, Tripura and districts in southern Assam.
“The challenge is how do you facilitate a system like the ILP with Meghalaya being a transit point,” Lyngdoh said.
Another key challenge is the already available protection mechanisms in Meghalaya.
The union home ministry has repeatedly pointed out that the state already has Sixth Schedule, Land Transfer Act, and the ADCs, which are constitutionally mandated provisions for protection of the indigenous people of the state, he said.
“These are the concerns and it is not the end of road for our state, but discussions and negotiations are ongoing and our effort would be to persuade the Centre by responding to their queries satisfactorily,” he added.
Meanwhile, the minister also hailed the Centre’s decision to pass the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 which seeks to regulate immigration, entry and stay of foreigners in India.
Terming it as a major development, Lyngdoh said, “It is certainly very welcoming for a state like Meghalaya, which shares a very long international border, which is also very porous border and also we are next door to Assam, which is prone to illegal immigration.”
“It is going to change and in fact tighten our grip on illegal immigration into the North East,” he said.
