The Meghalaya government has decided to revisit the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, to strengthen the state’s security mechanism.
The murder of Raja Raghuvanshi during in Sohra and the subsequent arrest of his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, as the prime suspect, became a sensational saga that different pressure groups took the opportunity to renew its demand for the immediate implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and MRSSA.
“We have decided to revisit the MRSSA, which is already an existing state act to add more teeth to this act in view of what we have just experienced at 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 the ILP, the minister said the matter is pending before the Ministry of Home Affairs and the government is trying to address the queries laid. “These queries relate to the fact that Meghalaya is not an endpoint since it connects the rest of the northeast states like Tripura and Mizoram.
He said the MRSSA needs an upscale. “We would like to revisit the act in order to plug loopholes and give it more dynamism and more thrust with whatever has happened at Sohra. This will ensure that we have an atmosphere that is safe and we continue to be tourist-friendly,” Lyngdoh said.
On tourism surveillance measures, reiterated that a tourism app has been made available that records all movement of tourists and compulsory registration of all visitors by homestays, resorts, and hotels.
“Now, the use of this app is roughly around 50 per cent, but the government will now make it mandatory that visitors are registered,” he added.
