Shillong, Aug 13: The Meghalaya government is hopeful of making progress on the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) after what Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma described as “very positive” discussions with the Union Home Ministry, even as he cautioned that several details are still being worked out at the official level.
Recently the United Democratic Party (UDP), a junior partner in the government, approached the Centre on the MRSSA and other matters. Asked by reporters on this, the CM said that he and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had held a detailed meeting with the Union Home Secretary during a recent visit to New Delhi.
He said senior Meghalaya officials have also held several rounds of discussions with the Union Home Secretary on various aspects of the legislation.
“We could understand that the Home Ministry and the government of India are very positive about it,” Sangma said.
The CM, however, stopped short of disclosing the specific issues being discussed, saying the matter involved several details that required consultation between the state and central government.
“These are matters of details, and therefore it requires a lot of consultation, a lot of discussion at the official level,” he said.
The MRSSA was enacted by Meghalaya in 2016 with the stated objective of regulating the entry and settlement of outsiders in the state and strengthening mechanisms for protecting the interests of Meghalaya’s indigenous residents. An amendment was passed in 2020 but the Governor referred it to the Centre and there it has remained.
