Meghalaya needs ILP to check migration, protect land: Shillong MP to Amit Shah

Shillong, Dec 16: Shillong Lok Sabha MP, Ricky Syngkon has urged the central government to expedite the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime in Meghalaya.

In a letter addressed to Home Minister Amit Shah, Syngkon said the ILP would address concerns over demographic change, land alienation and unregulated migration in the tribal-majority state.

Highlighting the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly-adopted resolution on December 19, 2019, seeking inclusion of the state under the ILP, the MP said, all political parties have agreed that the ILP would be the ideal protective measure for the state.

He said states like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, where ILP is in force, have streamlined online permit systems and therefore has not hindered tourist inflows.

“Our people seek not exclusion but protection; not privilege but parity with similarly placed Northeastern states; not confrontation but a cooperative, constitutional solution that balances national interests with the legitimate anxieties of small indigenous communities in a sensitive border state,” Syngkon added.

Syngkon said, the ILP does not target law-abiding citizens and the system would only regulate entry by requiring documentation of identity, purpose and duration of stay and discourage illegal settlement and benami land transactions.

Citing Meghalays’ long and porous international border with Bangladesh and its inter-state boundary with Assam, Syngkon said the state faces challenges related to illegal immigration and ILP would strengthen overall security.

Syngkon cautioned that prolonged uncertainty over implementation of the ILP could erode public trust and time-bound implementation of ILP would reinforce cooperative federalism.

The MP therefore urged the Home Ministry to constitute a joint technical committee with the state government to finalise implementation modalities.

The committee would provide clear communication to the Parliament and the State Assembly on the status and roadmap of the proposal.