With concerns over illegal immigration continuing to dominate political discourse in Meghalaya ahead of the Lok Sabha by-election for the Shillong Parliamentary constituency, United Democratic Party president and Cabinet Minister Metbah Lyngdoh has stressed that strengthening the State’s mechanism to check illegal immigration requires the collective participation of all stakeholders, asserting that the Government, its enforcement machinery, traditional institutions, Dorbar Shnongs and headmen must work in tandem to ensure illegal infiltration is effectively checked. He also said the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could help identify illegal immigrants who may have enrolled as voters, while maintaining that the Meghalaya Government has made sincere efforts towards securing the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP).
Asked about the demand for a stronger mechanism to check illegal infiltration in the State, Lyngdoh said, “As far as stronger mechanism to check illegal immigration is concern, be it whatever law, whatever regulations that we have in place, it’s all about its very detailed kind of each and every stakeholders have to play their own role, right from the government and the government machinaries that we have in place, Traditional institutions like Dorbur Shnong, headmen, every body has to play their role to see that all these are being taken care of.”
On the extent of illegal immigration in Meghalaya, he said, “There might be some cases, I will not be able to say anything, but there is a chance of having perhaps small numbers only, but let us see that since SIR exercise has started already. So this will take care of all those illegal People who have enrolled themselves.”
Asked whether the SIR exercise could effectively check illegal immigration, Lyngdoh said, “See, I’m pretty sure that there might be chance of illegal immigration as far as the enrollment of those illegal people in the Electoral process. So I personally that this SIR exercise is quite okay and With this detail review of the all People who have enrolled in State as far as the electoral roll is concern. I think this can be check and verify well by the Mechanism that is already there.”
Responding to a question on whether the State Government had done enough with regard to the implementation of the Inner Line Permit, Lyngdoh said, “More can be done, no doubt. But we have already put sincere efforts as far as this government is concern. If you recall we have adopted a resolution on the floor of the house to see that the house as a whole agreed to it and also approached the Government of India that state is very much in need as far as ILP is concern, as which is one of the measure that can check be as far as ILP is concern. We have been appraising the Chief Minister and the CM is doing the follow up with the centre.”
