Meghalaya yet to begin registration of outsiders

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said the regulation making it mandatory for outsiders to register themselves while entering the state is awaiting the governor's approval and yet to be imposed. In a bid to protect the interest the state's tribal citizens, the Meghalaya cabinet had on November 1 approved an amendment to the Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016 seeking mandatory registration of non-residents for entering the state.

The amendment, awaiting the nod of Governor Tathagata Roy, will take the form of an ordinance and the government wants to regularise it in the next session of the Assembly. "The objective of the Ordinance is to ensure the safety of visitors.... There is no need to stand or wait in queues when you enter the state," Sangma said adding that the registration process has not begun.

The registration will be required for tourists, labourers, students or those coming to the state for business transactions, he added. After the cabinet approved amendment of the MRSSA on November 1, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had said the decision was taken after taking opinions of different stakeholders including political parties and NGOs.

The MRSSA was passed by the then Congress-led government in lieu of the Inner Line Permit (ILP). During the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam earlier this year, pressure groups in the state demanded that the government implement a comprehensive mechanism to check influx of outsiders.

The updated final NRC, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of Assam, has left out over 19 lakh applicants. Following the publication of NRC, the Meghalaya government had said it was contemplating to add more teeth to the MRSSA to check illegal immigration into the state..

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