Shillong: The Khasi Students' Union and the Garo Students' Union on Monday expressed concern over the non-inclusion of more than 40 lakh people in neighbouring Assam in the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), saying this could lead to influx in the state.

"We are concerned as there are still no proper mechanisms to check influx. We had asked the state government to come up with measures to check influx post-publication of the final draft of the NRC, but we have not seen any response so far. We will wait for the government to spell out the measures to check the possible influx from Assam, but if it fails, we will think of other alternatives," KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar told The Telegraph.

Similarly, GSU president Tengsak G. Momin claimed that there were many "dual voters" in the Garo hills region who have their names both in Assam and Meghalaya. "It is possible that those individuals whose names did not figure in the final draft of the NRC, but who have enrolled as voters in Meghalaya, willenter our state," he said.

Momin said the state government should detect dual voters at the earliest and delete their names from the electoral rolls. On whether Meghalaya should conduct a similar exercise like Assam, Marngar said, "We appreciate what Assam has done and we knew that many names would not figure in the list. I think it is time we did something similar in Meghalaya with a cut-off year. We feel that 1971 should be made the cut-off year."

Momin said the government should first consult all with stakeholders to weigh the pros and cons of such an exercise in Meghalaya.

Govt stand

The Meghalaya government on Monday said it was not necessary to go for an "Assam-like" NRC exercise to weed out illegal citizens in the state.

The state government, instead, emphasised the need to expedite setting up of entry and exit points to screen and detect illegal migrants.

In the aftermath of publication of the final draft of the NRC in Assam - where over 40 lakh people failed to make it to the list - Meghalaya deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong told this correspondent that instructions would be given to the district administrations to take necessary steps right up to the village level.

The final draft of the NRC was published in Assam on Monday where over 40 lakh people in that state failed to make it to the draft NRC.