Meghalaya expected to demand Inner Line Permit System

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah soon and urge him to take strong action to discourage influx into the border state from across Bangladesh. Sangma had discussed the issue with his cabinet colleagues, reports The Assam Tribune. “I hope our suggestions and recommendations for strong measures to counter influx and protect our people can be taken up,” Sangma said about the proposed meeting with the Union Home Minister. The Chief Minister did not rule out the possibility of the Cabinet delegation calling for imposition of the inner line permit system in the entire State. Without going into details, Sangma said all necessary steps to discourage influx would be discussed with the Union Home Minister. It was also decided that the Chief Minister would call on Governor Tathagata Roy for the latter’s early assent to the ordinance concerning amendment to the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act. The ordinance will make it mandatory for visitors to the State to register, just in the manner of the ILP system. The ordinance has been lying with Roy for some time as he is seeking legal opinions before his assent. Meanwhile, Sangma made it clear that the National People’s Party has not opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament because some of the concerns raised by the State were addressed through the Bill.