Shillong, June 13: In the wake of the sensational murder of Raja Raghuvanshi in Sohra by people from his own state Madhya Pradesh, the state government has decided to revisit the existing Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016 to check entry of criminal elements in “guise of tourists” to Meghalaya.
“The state cabinet decided to revisit the MRSSA… to add more teeth to this Act in view of what we had just experienced in Sohra and to ensure that we minimise the possibility of criminal elements entering Meghalaya in the guise of tourists,” cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh told reporters after the cabinet meeting on Friday.
To a query, he said the state assembly’s proposal for implementation of inner line permit (ILP) in Meghalaya has been pending with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Citing practical challenges in implementing ILP in Meghalaya, he said, “The MHA has a number of queries, which we as state government are trying to address. Some of these queries relate to the fact that Meghalaya is not an end point. “
The state connects other states in the North East such as Mizoram and Tripura besides Silchar (Barak Valley) in Assam.
Expressing confidence on strength of MRSSA in checking influx, he said, “If you go through MRSSA, a lot is already in place but we need to upscale and further improve of what we already have in MRSSA.”
He said the government would soon come up with formal proposal to further strengthening the MRSSA.
