Shillong: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Friday decided to revisit the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, which is aimed at ensuring the safety of state residents and curbing the entry of criminal elements posing as tourists.
The decision to strengthen an existing legislation comes in the backdrop of the gruesome murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed during a honeymoon trip to Sohra, in a plot orchestrated by his wife and her lover.
Cabinet Minister and MDA spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh said, “The cabinet today decided to revisit the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act, 2016, an existing state legislation, to add more teeth to this Act to minimise the possibility of criminal elements entering Meghalaya in the guise of tourists.”
“The government will soon come up with a formal proposal to further strengthen the MRSSA,” he said.
While acknowledging the persistent demand for ILP, Lyngdoh pointed out that the matter now rests with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
“The State Assembly has already adopted a resolution demanding implementation of the Inner Line Permit in the state. The matter is currently pending before the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). There were several queries from the Ministry which the state government had addressed,” he said.
The MRSSA was originally introduced to enhance the security of Meghalaya residents through the vetting of tenants and tourists.
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It allows for identity verification through a tourism-specific app and has provisions similar to those under the Inner Line Permit system, which the state has long been seeking from the Centre.
Lyngdoh stated that the government is revisiting the act to address any existing loopholes.
