SHILLONG : Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday said that setting up an entry-exit point at Umling is not difficult, but stressed that it would not be effective without a legal framework to enforce checks.
Responding to Tourism Minister Timothy D. Shira’s proposal to establish a tourist registration centre at Umling amid calls to curb alleged unabated influx into Meghalaya, the Chief Minister said infrastructure alone cannot solve the issue.
“Getting an entry-exit point is not an issue. We can set it up today, we can set it up tomorrow. The question is about having a legal mechanism to implement and actually enforce a checking that should happen,” Sangma said.
He said the proposed amendment to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) is expected to provide the legal backing needed for authorities to conduct effective verification.
According to the Chief Minister, simply installing a gate and deploying personnel without legal powers would not achieve the intended objective.
“Putting up a gate is not an issue at all but making it and enforcing it to check and what kind of checking takes place—that is the key issue. Opening a gate tomorrow and having people sitting there is not going to solve the problem,” he said.
Sangma reiterated that the success of the proposed entry-exit system depends on the MRSSA amendment being put in place.
“As I said, for it to become actually effective in the way that we would want it to be, that requires some work to be done, which is what the MRSSA amendment was supposed to be. We are working on it. Let’s hope for the best,” he added.
The proposal for an entry-exit point at Umling has come amid renewed public debate over regulating the movement of visitors into Meghalaya and strengthening measures to address concerns over influx.