The Meghalaya cabinet on Tuesday approved a government resolution to be tabled and passed in the Assembly this week.

Through the resolution, the Meghalaya government will urge the Centre to implement the inner-line permit under the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation, 1873, in the state.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, chief minister Conrad K. Sangma said the cabinet has unanimously approved the government resolution on ILP and the same will be passed by the Assembly during a daylong special session on Thursday.

Commenting on the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government delegation with Union home minister Amit Shah, the chief minister said, “We have demanded that ILP should be implemented in Meghalaya and the government has been very firm and informed the home minister that we will be going ahead with the resolution. All these moments and steps which are taking place have been a positive response.”

On the argument that resolution on ILP need not be passed in the Assembly but the Meghalaya government can only issue a notification as per the principal act to extend the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation, 1873 in Meghalaya, Conrad said it is the preamble in the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation that defined the areas where it can be notified and implemented.

“The preamble has been changed in the past through a Presidential notification. The recent one was done on December 11, 2019, where Manipur was added. A notification can only be done based on the preamble and the details that are there in the regulation. Until and unless it is there in the preamble, and the word Meghalaya not inserted, it will not be possible,” Conrad said.

Earlier, former Nongkrem MLA Ardent Miller Basaïawmoit mentioned that in the principal act, the regulation extends to the district of Cachar, Kamrup, Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills, Lakhimpur, Naga Hills, Nagaon and Sivasagar.

“The act states that it shall be lawful for the state government to prescribe and from time to time to issue a notification to implement ILP. They may say that the notification is only for Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills, but recently, the government of Nagaland has extended ILP to Dimapur and it does not need the approval of the Centre. Therefore, the people should not be misled,” Ardent said.

Conrad, however, said the former MLA may be referring to the earlier act where the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia were mentioned in the preamble, adding, “But this is not there anymore and the option is not with the state government.”

Asked whether the government is prioritising ILP or the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 that seeks registration of people from outside who visit Meghalaya, Conrad said, “The state government at the moment is moving for the resolution to urge the central government to implement ILP.”

Earlier, governor Tathagata Roy, who has taken leave, had delayed approval of the ordinance.

Asked about the new governor, R.N. Ravi who replaced Roy, Conrad said whoever takes over as governor is, it is the government’s duty to interact and advise the governor.

“As has been doing in the past, we will continue to advise the governor in every possible way and in the best interest of the people of the state,” Conrad added.