Members of the Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) today staged a sudden protested outside the main secretariat against introduction of railway without the inner line permit.
Leaders of the organisation were later invited for talks by the state government and met with Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong. Also present were Chief Secretary DP Wahlang and Commissioner and Secretary Home Cyril Diengdoh.
HYC general secretary Roy Kupar Synrem after the meeting told reporters that the deputy chief minister made it clear that there is no plan to introduce railway in the state.
Synrem said they were informed that Chief Minister Conrad Sangma would be leading a delegation of cabinet ministers to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during the monsoon session of the parliament to reiterate the demand for implementation of the ILP in the state.
According to Synrem, the home ministry did not say yes or no on the issue of ILP but several concerns were put up to the State government over the implementation of the ILP that it will affect tourism and transit problems.
“These concerns were raised by the deputy chief minister quoting the Centre but our view is that the ILP can be initiated at the entry point. We also don’t feel that ILP will affect tourism,” Synrem said.
The Meghalaya Assembly has passed a resolution in 2019 requesting the BJP-led central government to implement ILP in the state. Several representations were sent to the centre after that, but the latter has not taken any decision so far on the issue.
Questioning the fate of the 2019 resolution, Synrem said the NPP-led government must take up the issue with the centre earnestly.
He said the ILP issue should be discussed together with other pending issues like the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security bill passed by the assembly in 2020.
