Shillong, June 27, 2025 — Asserting that the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) is not a substitute for the Inner Line Permit (ILP), Voice of the People Party (VPP) spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh on Wednesday reignited the demand for ILP, linking it to rising safety concerns, unchecked tourism flow, and systemic governance gaps in the state.
“MRSSA… that is not a substitute to ILP,” said Myrboh, pointing out that the law imposes obligations on both locals and tenants, unlike ILP, which specifically regulates the entry of people from outside the state. “It affects even the local people… ILP is very specific in its target.”
He said the recent killing of Indore-based tourist Raja Raghuvanshi highlighted glaring vulnerabilities in the state’s tourism infrastructure and security systems. “This tourism sector, if you analyse in Meghalaya, in fact in view of the recent incident, you will find there are so many gaps… no proper registration of vehicles, no CCTV cameras, lack of electricity at tourist spots,” Myrboh said.
While acknowledging tourism’s potential, the VPP leader warned against uncontrolled inflow. “We cannot afford to go for mass tourism… Meghalaya has a fragile environment. You should measure tourism by the spending capability of tourists, not just footfall.”
On the argument that ILP could affect tourism, he dismissed the concern. “When you say tourism will be affected if ILP is implemented, I think this is a lazy argument… Applying for an ILP is no different than booking a flight ticket. With technology, everything is online.”
He also clarified that MRSSA’s scope is far broader than ILP, impacting even internal state movement: “MRSSA doesn’t distinguish between outsiders and locals… It’s more complicated than ILP and involves more work for local authorities.”
Despite VPP holding only one Lok Sabha seat, he said the party is committed to pursuing ILP with the Centre. “We will raise this in Parliament and pursue it with the government. This is not just VPP’s agenda — it’s the people’s issue. It was part of our manifesto and we stand by it.”
Slamming the seven-year performance of the MDA government under Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, Myrboh stressed the absence of verifiable data on key sectors like education, employment, power, and infrastructure. “You say education is top priority, but Meghalaya ranked at the bottom in the PGI index… When you talk about achievement, we need data.”
Citing daily power outages in rural areas and mismanagement of funds in projects like the Smart City and FOCUS schemes, he said, “We are not interested in advertisements. We are interested in outcomes… How much have you spent, and what is the result? Without social audit and accountability, it becomes a burden on the state.”
He concluded, “The more authority you get from the people, the more accountable you must be. Governance should not be measured by the number of MLAs but by the outcome delivered to the people.”
