Shillong, July 24: Opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Tuesday accused the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government of betraying the pro-Inner Line Permit (ILP) groups by passing a resolution to implement the ILP to free itself from the issue. Voicing the need for ILP in the state, he claimed that the livelihoods of the local indigenous tribals have been ‘snatched away by people coming from outside the state’.

Addressing media persons, Basaiawmoit said, “These people doesn’t want any mechanisms or laws which will regulate (we are not saying to restrict movement of people); but to regulate the unabated flow of influx into the state because you have seen our livelihoods have been snatched away by people coming from outside the state. Therefore, the people, who say we don’t want to talk about ILP are the same people, who are fooling the people of the state.”

Stating that the MDA government is guilty of fooling and betraying the pressures groups, who are spearheading the ILP demand, the VPP president alleged that the MDA government had passed a resolution urging the Centre to implement ILP not with the intention to implement ILP but to totally free itself from the issue of ILP.

“Otherwise, why did they (MDA) not demand from the Centre government that it should revoke the presidential order issued on the same day they sat for the Assembly to delete the words “Khasi-Jaintia” from the preamble of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR),” he asked.

He further said the pressure groups feel betrayed by the MDA government. “I feel pity for the NGOs that they have been betrayed and fooled by the MDA-I government by passing a resolution for implementation of the ILP but with no intention to implement it,” he added.

Mentionably, ILP is a special permit that is required by the people from other regions of India to enter a state with the regulation system in place. Currently, the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur has ILP enforced, requiring Indians to get an ILP permit to enter these states. ILP can be demanded by a state government but it can only be implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Meghalaya Assembly had adopted a resolution for implementing ILP regime in the state in December 2019. However, the MHA hasn’t given a word on when or if it will implement ILP in Meghalaya despite the 2019 resolution getting the support of all the 60 MLAs of the State.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has assured that he has been taking up the issue of ILP with the Centre every time he visits the national but he is yet to receive any positive answer.

Recently, pressure groups have started conducting extensive checking of trading license and work permits of the non-tribal labourers working in Khasi – Jaintia Hills. They have also erected their own ILP check gates at the state’s border at three places in the State. According to the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), it has alone pushed back over 2500 labourers from the state for lacking proper permits to work in the state.

Reacting to such checking, CM Sangma has stated that no work permit is required to work in the state, however the labourers need to be registered with the government, which their employer(s) or contractor(s) have to ensure.

However, despite the CM’s statement, the pressure groups have continued with the checking and pushing away of non-tribal labourers, and turning away tourists at the state’s entry points.

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