Shillong, July 23: The Federation of Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo People (FKJGP) has expressed concerns that the recent eviction of illegal immigrants from Assam may lead to an influx of these individuals into Meghalaya, given the state’s shared border with Assam.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the FKJGP’s vice president, Kitboklang Nongphlang, highlighted that districts like Ri Bhoi, West Khasi Hills, East and West Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills region are particularly vulnerable in absence of effective anti-influx laws in Meghalaya.

Nongphlang criticized the state government for failing to effectively implement existing laws, such as the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) 2016, and the Meghalaya Identification, Registration (Safety & Security) of Migrant Workers Act 2020.

He argued that this failure demonstrates a lack of political will to protect the indigenous population.

The FKJGP leader also expressed disappointment over the state government’s inaction  to pursue the Centre for implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, despite a unanimous resolution passed by the State Assembly in 2019.

He alleged the state government has also attempted to cover up its failure in the name of proposing to bring necessary amendments to strengthen the MRSSA, 2016.

The FKJGP has also noted that neighboring Nagaland, which has ILP in place, has taken proactive measures to monitor the movement of people entering the state, following concerns over the potential influx of evicted immigrants from Assam.

The FKJGP urged the Meghalaya government to follow suit and take necessary steps to protect the state’s interests.

Asserting the need to stop prioritizing vote bank politics over the welfare of the indigenous population, the FKJGP warned the state government to take the issue seriously and take concrete actions to prevent the influx of illegal immigrants. If not, the organization threatened to take matters into its own hands.

“We demand the state government to take up the issue seriously. If we do not see any sign of action being taken in this regard, we would be compelled to play our own role,” Nongphlang stated.

The FKJGP while questioning if the infiltration check gate will be only gates for illegal collection and if the labour inspectors appointed in every block will only take salary without doing their duties directed all its units and circles to be vigilant and intensify checks against illegal immigrants across the state.

Also Read: Meghalaya is a ‘Heaven’ that needs to be preserved: Governor Chandrashekhar H. Vijaya Shankar

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