SHILLONG, JUL 10: Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira on Friday said the proposed facility at Umling will function as both a tourist facilitation centre and a registration point to monitor entry into Meghalaya.

Responding to KSU’s opposition to the food court at Umling, Shira declined to comment directly.

“I will not make a comment because if I make a comment it will develop into controversy, so I don’t want to make any comment,” he said.

He explained that the centre is designed to register visitors while also providing basic amenities during the process.

“Our plan is to make it a facilitation centre plus registration of tourists. We have provided two rooms for office work. At the time of registration some time will be taken, so during that time people can use facilities like restaurants,” Shira said.

The Minister said registration is needed to verify visitors and address concerns over illegal entry.

“Yes, it will be a tourist registration centre. In the name of tourists, many people are coming to do something. We have to examine their papers to check whether they are genuine citizens of India or from other countries with proper documents,” he stated.

Comparing it to existing entry systems, he added: “It is almost like ILP. When we go to Nagaland, everybody has to go through the ILP system.”

A similar setup, he said, has also been built in Berubari, Garo Hills.On allegations of weak mechanisms to tackle influx, Shira asserted the government already has checks in place.

“Who says the government does not have a proper mechanism to check illegal influx? Now there is an infiltration check gate plus this registration. So what more?” he asked.

He added that officials have already spoken to KSU members, and the matter related to the Umling entry point is also before the court.