The Meghalaya Government has asserted that it has not abandoned its plan to establish a full-fledged facilitation centre at Umling along the Assam-Meghalaya border, while emphasising that District Task Forces are already operational across the State to implement the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016. The government clarified that the proposed food court at Umling is only an initiative of the Tourism Department to improve amenities for travellers and is not a substitute for the planned facilitation centre. It maintained that the expansion of the facility is linked to the pending amendment to the MRSSA, which is awaiting clearance from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), as Meghalaya continues to strengthen its border management and resident verification framework.
Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong said the food court was conceived to provide basic facilities for travellers while vehicle checking is carried out at Umling. “As far as food court is concern that is the only intiative taken by the tourism department to make sure that the particular spot where we are suppose to have felicitation centre, over there, people will automatically stop there vehicles, they will have food may be while the process of checking takes place, they need to relax themselves, therefore, we need to have these kind of facilities. Secondly, we are not done away with the idea of having a full fledged felicitation centre over there. The question of doing away it’s not there, we still continuing.”
Explaining the delay in taking forward the permanent facility, Tynsong said the State was awaiting the amendment to the MRSSA. “The only issue is that when we talk about Meghalaya Residence Safety and Security Act, the issue is two. firstly the ammendment we assed in the Assembly we send it to the governor and the governor again send it to the ministry of Home affairs, consultation, observation, discussion and let just tell you last year the Ministry of Home Affairs they send back the bill to the governor with the observation. Then the Governor sent it back to the state Government, till today this issue is being communicated with the MHA and I am very sure very soon this ammendment will happen.”
Highlighting the implementation of the MRSSA, 2016, Tynsong said enforcement mechanisms are already in place across Meghalaya through District Task Forces headed by the respective Deputy Commissioners. Referring to East Khasi Hills, he said, “If you talk about East Khasi Hills, we have a full fledged District Task Force headed by Deputy Commission and I think not less than 3 full years now, this task force is in operation. Even consultation with traditional heads including Rongbha Shnong, with different stakeholders is on, with the police.”
He said the government would further strengthen the Umling facilitation centre once the amendment receives approval. “When we talk talk about the gate, the felicitation centre, so that is the question, we would like to see the ammendment is through. Once the ammendment is through we will make sure that facilitation centre which in the past five years we set up over there, it will be further strengthen and at the same time we would like to see that all the facilities also available in that place.”
Tynsong added that all districts have already been directed and notified to constitute District Task Forces for the implementation of the MRSSA, 2016, and said these task forces are now operational across the State under the respective Deputy Commissioners, strengthening enforcement of the Act while the government pursues the pending amendment with the MHA.
