The Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) Amendment Bill would be made redundant with the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and should be recalled and the original 2016 act be “fully operationalised”, leader of the opposition Dr Mukul Sangma said today.
In a memorandum submitted to Governor Satya Pal Malik, Dr Sangma said that the original MRSSA, formulated under his government, was a culmination of exhaustive and long-drawn engagement with civil society groups to put in place a comprehensive and effective mechanism to deal with the challenges of illegal immigration, safety and security, with an aim to create and preserve peace and harmony.
However, Dr Sangma added, “The present government proposed and passed an amendment to the act and the assent of the Governor for the same is pending.”
The leader of the opposition urged Malik to see that the amendment bill is recalled and the act be operationalised by the state government in its original form. He also informed that he will write to the Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, urging the same thing.
On the ILP, Dr Sangma said that the Assembly resolution calling on the central government to impose the more than a century-old law on Meghalaya, which the Congress also supported, was adopted in response to “widespread demand” from across the state because of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act being pursued by the Centre. He thus urged the Governor to press New Delhi on the issue.
