Shillong, Aug 22: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Tuesday met the DGP LR Bishnoi and discussed the issues of border, infiltration and drugs.
Security in border areas
The HYC said there should be security in the border area during the settlement of the border and the people should decide independently.
Among several principles adopted by the two states to settle the boundary disputes, one of the principle adopted is the willingness of the people residing in the disputed area.
“We believe that the people must decide by their own free will without any compulsion or threat or coercion from any quarter. We hope that you have seen the recent statements made by the NGOs from Karbi-Anglong threatening that if the people chose to go with Meghalaya, an incident similar to that of Manipur may happen. This is a threat to the free will of the people and the HYC strongly condemn such statements and is totally against it. Hence, in order to ensure that the people are able to decide freely, providing adequate security in the border areas is a must”, the HYC said.
In this regard, HYC suggested that all the seven new Border Outposts (BoPs) and Out-Posts (OPs) in sensitive areas along the inter-state border with Assam as declared by the state government last year be made fully operational, the man-power in the existing BOPs and OPs should be increased and the police personnel must be supplied with all the necessary requirements for their effective performance of the mandated duties and functions.
Strengthening of Infiltration Branch
Meghalaya police have set up an Infiltration Branch with an objective to prevent and check the influx and illegal entry of foreign nationals detecting, prosecuting and deporting them after concrete evidence is established against them. Some of the important duties assigned to the Directorate of Infiltration are to undertake enumeration of all the Inhabitants residing in border villages. To collect intelligence from all possible quarters namely, secret sources, VDP, dependable headmen and other village officials about infiltrators. To check all pedestrians and vehicles for presence of foreigners entering the area without valid documents, to detect and push them back to the international borders if such foreigners are detected within 10 kms of the International borders. Those detected beyond 10 kms of the International border are to be prosecuted under the Foreigners’ Act, 1946 through police stations. Verify the arrival of any new-comer by constant patrolling. The primary objective of the I/C of a Watch Post/Patrol Post/Infiltration Check Post is to ensure that the arrival, stay and movement of any foreigner does not go unnoticed. The police should maintain records of detections, pushing back and prosecution of foreigners. Also maintain a record of finger prints and photographs of all foreigner detected.
“We are of the opinion that the Directorate of Infiltration has not performed its duty up to the expectations of the public and as mandated. Hence, we would like to impress upon you to ensure that the Directorate of Infiltration performs its duty as mandated and we further suggest that Directorate should co-operate with the village authorities and the Village Defence party to prevent entry and settlement of immigrants in each and every village. We further, suggest that an order maybe issued to all the villages that each and every village must prepare and submit a register containing all newly residents coming from other states and from other countries”, the HYC said.
Drugs supply reduction
Selling and consuming of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in Meghalaya seems to be increasing day by day.
“And we are of the opinion that maximum quantities of these drugs are being supplied to the state from outside. We firmly believe that if the law enforcement agencies could reduce the trafficking of these drugs, the situations will be improve drastically. We would like to suggest that the Police Department should adopt proper strategy to reduce the supply of drugs into the state. We would also like to suggest that The state police, the Border Security Force and the Custom & Central Excise should conduct joint operations and share information on drugs by pooling in resources to effectively tackle the menace of drugs in the state as frequently as possible and also rope in the village authorities in this effort. Regular checking should be conducted frequently at the entry points to the state”, the joint memorandum of the HYC submitted by president Robert June Kharjahrin and general secretary Roy Kupar Synrem, said.
