Meghalaya NGO threatens to set up check gate at Umling to monitor influx

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NONGPOH:

The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), North Khasi Hills District Unit, on Tuesday, threatened to set up a check gate at Umling in Meghalaya’s Ri Bhoi district “as the State Government cannot curb infiltration.”

The statement comes following an inspection conducted by the organisation at the entry checkpoint at Umling, where they discovered that the check gate had been operating as a COVID-19 Testing Centre instead of monitoring illegal influx.

Senior Vice President of the FKJGP, North Khasi Hills District, Lumlang Mawnai, led the inspection alongside other members.

Mawnai said the organisation had received several complaints that the entry checkpoint acted only as a COVID-19 Testing Centre.

“During the inspection, we found that the data of those who travel to Meghalaya as migrant labourers, was entered in the tourist category. Most of the vehicles that ferry people from outside the state fled without registering them because of the lack of security in the security lane,” Mawnai said.

“The MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) Government has fooled the Meghalaya citizens by stating that the entry checkpoint at Umling will act as the mechanism to combat unabated influx to the state,” he said.

“The checkpoint has acted only as a facilitating centre to facilitate outsiders only for COVID-19 testing centre,” he added.

Mawnai stressed that if the government is not “serious enough” to make a full-fledged entry checkpoint, it will compel the organisation to take drastic action by setting up an influx check gate at Umling.

(Edited by Andre Kongri)