SHILLONG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his assurance to the Meghalaya government that he will carefully consider their demand for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state.
This announcement came during a meeting held in New Delhi recently, where Chief Minister Conrad Sangma led a delegation consisting of several cabinet ministers.
Describing it as one of their longest meetings with the PM, Sangma also said that PM Modi acknowledged the issue and assured thorough examination of these demands. The Chief Minister also expressed gratitude for Modi’s patient listening and attention to various issues raised by them.
Earlier in March 2022, the chief minister had informed that the Meghalaya government had sent multiple letters to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) since the assembly on December 19, 2019 unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to implement ILP in the state.
He had said that the state government had also submitted a memorandum on the matter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Shillong on January 23 last year.
But since these attempts to engage with the Centre had yielding no response, this recent commitment from Prime Minister Modi has renewed hope for progress on this front.
Since the ILP resolution was passed in the Assembly, various pressure groups in the state have been demanding its implementation and staging several demonstrations to urge the Centre to approve this demand. The railway project in Meghalaya, which has long been advocated by the Chief Minister, has also faced uncertainty due to the ILP. Student bodies and civic organizations have made it clear that they will not allow railways in the state until the Centre implements the ILP.
In light of this situation, Modi’s assurance has injected renewed enthusiasm among stakeholders in Meghalaya who eagerly await further developments on this issue.
