SHILLONG, NOV 3: HNYF president Sadon Blah on Tuesday strongly criticised Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, alleging that he appeared to have little knowledge of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, or had not studied it thoroughly, as he continued to cite the need to amend the 2022 amendment as a reason for its non-implementation.
Blah made the statement after leaders of 10 pressure groups under the banner of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) met the Chief Minister on Tuesday and raised several long-pending issues, including the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), MRSSA and other matters.
Speaking to reporters, Blah said that regarding the implementation of MRSSA, the High Court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), had not struck down the Act but had only directed the government to examine it thoroughly before implementing it.
He also pointed out that several infiltration check gates were operating across India, but the Meghalaya government was reluctant to implement similar measures despite concerns over the entry of outsiders into the state.
“There is no point discussing the implementation of the first phase, for which 30 Entry and Exit Points have already been identified, when the Chief Minister keeps referring only to the 2022 amendment and has no knowledge of Form 4, which is essential for implementing the Entry and Exit Points,” he said.
Blah further criticised the difficulty of discussing MRSSA with the Chief Minister, alleging that he had not studied the Act properly.
He said this could indicate that the government itself was either unaware of the provisions of MRSSA or unwilling to implement it because it was benefiting from the influx of people from outside the state, he added.
