The Meghalaya government is taking steps to speed up the setting up of entry and exit points in various parts of the state bordering Assam as part of its measures to check influx in the state.
This state government’s move assumed importance in the light of the publication of the final draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam on Monday, which saw the exclusion of 40,00,707 applicants out of 3,29,91,384 who had applied for Indian citizenship in Assam. Only 2, 89, 83,677 applicants were found eligible.
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Meghalaya which shares a long inter-state boundary with Assam feared that illegal infiltration of people from Assam whose names did not figure in the final draft NRC may move to Meghalaya if movement of outsiders is not checked by the law enforcing agencies.
“It is important to have strong mechanisms in place and we have to speed up the process of setting up entry and exit points where state authorities can verify the identity of people who enter into the state,” Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters here on Monday.
Tynsong said that the state government wanted to complete the process but there was some problem in getting the land like in Ri-Bhoi district.
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He, however, said that the Deputy Commissioner of Ri-Bhoi district has been instructed to identify and acquire land for the project and speed up the process so that the state will have its mechanisms in place that would help address influx problem.
When asked if Meghalaya would also like to implement NRC like in Assam, Tynsong said that he did not see it necessary to go for NRC especially when the state government has already taken steps to set up entry and exit points to address influx problem in the state.
The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) had earlier warned that danger was waiting for Meghalaya especially after the publication of the final draft NRC in Assam.
The Union urged the people and Dorbar Shnongs to be on high alert against the possible migration of illegal immigrants from the neighbouring state.
The KSU also asked the state government to take extra measures to detect illegal migrant who tried to cross over to Meghalaya especially those who have been excluded from the NRC list.