Shillong, November 2: Keeping in interest of the government and the people of Meghalaya, the state cabinet on Friday gave a green signal to the ordinance that necessitates all outsiders to register with the government before entering the state. The Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed that the amended Act has been approved in the form of an ordinance and it will come into force with immediate effect. The ordinance will be regularized in the next session of the state Assembly.
The National People’s Party- led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government approved the amendment of the Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security Act, 2016 (MRSSA) in the form of an ordinance. The ordinance, once implemented, will bring into effect inner line permit (ILP) like requirements operational in Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh that require people from outside the state to register before entering.
“Any person who is not a resident of Meghalaya and intends to stay more than 24 hours in the state will have to furnish information to the government. This is done for their (outsiders) own interest as well as for the interest of the government and people of Meghalaya. They will be much safer,” he said while also maintaining that the provisions of the act will not apply to employees of the centre, state and district councils.
The deputy chief minister said the act is for people who are interested in visiting the state as tourists, labourers, business, education and other purposes. Tynsong said the decision was also taken after series of meetings were held with the different stakeholders including political parties and NGOs. Asked about the modalities of registration, the deputy chief minister said people will have to comply with certain rules. “We will redraft the existing rules to ensure simplest procedures are in place for registration, and we will also do the registration online. Once the rules are ready it will be placed before the Cabinet at the earliest,” he said.
In case of violation, the offender will be liable to be punished under the section of 176 or 177 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860.