Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday said the state government has begun a detailed exercise to strengthen mechanisms addressing illegal infiltration and other security concerns. “So I don’t want to go into details right now but our exercise has only started. We have been doing very detailed meetings. I am sure you must have seen the home department, We have met with the DGP and others more than I think in last three, four, five times now in the last two, three months purely to discuss, not necessarily MRSSA alone, but a mechanism to ensure that we are able to check all these aspects and I don’t want to, as I said, jump the gun right now and give too much of information, But we are on track and I hope that we’ll be able to come out with something very concrete very soon,” he said.
The Chief Minister stressed that Meghalaya has always maintained strictness regarding illegal immigration. “I mean for that matter of fact there always been strictness from our side. We are always concerned about this and that’s the reason why different laws and different aspects are being brought in. I also want to share with you that we know that there are different laws at the national level also, which has come in, we are looking at those aspects also, to ensure that how those laws can be applicable to the state. So I don’t want to go into details of all of that but all aspects are there,” Sangma said. He added that the Village Defence Party (VDP) law has been reinforced to ensure active grassroots intelligence collection. “Whereas the illegal infiltration check gates that are there very active checking is taking place and all the information is being collected. So, therefore multiple levels and obviously, if there is any information Intel that Organisations may have Civil Society may have please do pass it on and will be happy to ensure that we Take necessary steps against those,” he added.
Addressing public safety, the Chief Minister reassured citizens: “Absolutely Meghalaya is safe, there is no issue at all. The Delhi blast issue that was there, which was a concern for National Security, was the issue that required different aspects of different investigations to be done and whatever happened at the point in time was purely and purely related to the investigations of the Delhi blast. So therefore we are not going beyond that statement. Which I had made last time again, so it’s a repetition. There’s no concern of any safety secrets, but obviously, obviously, we cannot just take things for granted. So as a government, as a police department, as BSF, as NIA, as the Intelligence Bureau, as all the agencies concerned, it is our duty to never take things for granted. It is our duty to never be complacent. It is a duty never to take anything lightly, so obviously we are going to take everything very seriously to ensure that there is safety but as I said there is nothing, no concern as of now and there is the safety aspect is absolutely there. The investigation that happened during that phase was purely related with the Delhi Blast.”
