Meghalaya made a new law for state outsiders

The northeastern state of Meghalaya has enacted a new law to prevent infiltration and to protect the interests of local tribals and natives. Under this, outsiders staying in the state for more than 24 hours will now have to register.

For the first time in the country, a state has enacted such a law. Inner states permit system is definitely applicable in many states of the Northeast. But this law is different from him in many ways. Many organizations of the state have been demanding this for a long time. READ MORE

After the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in neighbouring Assam, it has been implemented in a new form by amending its provisions in a big way with a view of possible infiltration.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has said that the NRC prepared in Assam is not a new or unique idea. This is a document to prevent illegal intruders on the basis of which claims can be settled in future.

The Meghalaya government on Friday implemented the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSA), 2016 in a revised form. Currently, it has been implemented through an ordinance, but it will be passed in the next session of the assembly.

Deputy Chief Minister Preston Tensang says, “The said Act will not apply to government employees. It is for those who will come to Meghalaya in connection with tourism, labour and business. Those who violate this Act will be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code.” “

The Act was passed by the then Congress government in the year 2016 as part of measures to stop illegal immigrants in the state. However, the emphasis was on monitoring tenants at that time. At that time, all the landlords were instructed to maintain the necessary documents and inform the traditional community head about the tenants. Now, by making many changes in that act, it has been made sharper.

Says Tensang, “Under the amended act, people coming to the state can also register online. The government has made the registration rules much simpler than before. This act has come into force with immediate effect. The next session of the assembly I will approve it. “

Before amending the said Act, Chief Conrad Sangma had called a separate meeting of various political parties, non-government organizations and other related parties to discuss the new provisions. The earlier Act was applicable only to tenants. After the amendments, it will be applicable to all the people coming to Meghalaya. If a person does not give his information or gives incorrect information before entering the state, then strict action will be taken against him.

The Konrad Sangma government of the state is opposing the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill of the Center. Under this, there is a provision to give citizenship to people from Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain and Parsi sections who come here from neighbouring countries without any documents. BJP is also involved in the state government.

By the way, all the organizations of the state have already demanded to make appropriate laws to protect the interests of the local residents. After the NRC came into force in the neighbouring Assam state, the demand for the people to migrate from there to Meghalaya increased greatly after this demand increased. In the last list of NRC released in Assam last August, 19.06 lakh people could not find a place.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ranjan Gogoi has defended it as a future document amidst controversies over NRC prepared in Assam. Justice Gogoi is the chairman of the bench of the Supreme court which is monitoring the NRC process in Assam. At a book release function held in Delhi, he said, “NRC is not an immediate document. It is the original document of the future, on the basis of which it will be able to settle future claims.”

Gogoi also targeted those opposing NRC and said that such people are not aware of the ground reality. He said that such people are far from the ground reality, they also present a distorted picture. For this reason, the agenda of Assam and its development has been affected.

Justice Gogoi, who hails from Assam, said, “The idea of ​​NRC is not new. It was formulated only in the year 1951. The present exercise is just an attempt to update the NRC of 1951.”

Originally published at https://www.mubahisa.in.