The Hynñiewtrep Youths Council (HYC) is weary of the word “examine”, a term constantly referred by the State government.
This is in reference to yesterday’s statement made by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma after returning from New Delhi to put forth the demand for implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and other issues of the state.
HYC President Robertjune Kharjahrin said they are unhappy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not given a clear answer if ILP will be implemented in Meghalaya.
“We thank our representatives who met the PM on ILP, but what remained unfulfilled is that our ministers have not come with any result or reason why the PM is giving or not giving ILP to our state,” he told reporters.
Kharjahrin said that the Chief Minister, who led the delegation of ministers, comes back with the “same old answer of examining the matter.”
“We would like to know which part of the ILP the Government of India is still examining when the fact is ILP was implemented in four other states of the region. Many have also challenged the ILP in the courts of law but all the courts have said that the Constitution permits its implementation,” he added.
Stating that electronic ILP can also be generated, where all details can be uploaded online, Kharjahrin said that people will face no inconvenience to applying for it.
“If you say that Meghalaya is a transit state then we have also clearly stated that transit passes can be issued for this problem. We wanted ILP to protect the indigenous people of the state,” he said and reiterated, “We want to know the area of concern that the Home ministry is still examining to date.”
He further said though the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) is akin to ILP, the HYC would prefer the latter.
