Shillong: The Meghalaya government is examining the possibility of setting up its own Territorial Army (TA), with the matter likely to be taken up in the upcoming cabinet meeting on August 26.
Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh, addressing reporters, said the demand for a Territorial Army was raised by leaders of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU).
“In fact, I had suggested this idea way back during my tenure as KSU president. Today, we have received a note on how to structure and initiate the process of having a Territorial Army. Assam has already established a full-fledged Territorial Army, while Mizoram too has made progress on this front. Meghalaya will now proactively pursue the matter,” he said.
Clarifying that the move was not due to dissatisfaction with the Border Security Force (BSF), Lyngdoh stressed that the TA would act as a supplementary force. “We are looking at a scenario where everyone joins forces. At the initiative of the state government, the BSF has already advertised 300 posts exclusively for ST candidates of Meghalaya — the biggest recruitment drive ever by the BSF. I am grateful to the Director General for this,” he said.
The minister added that the Territorial Army would complement the efforts of the BSF, police, and local communities. “You cannot expect the BSF and police to be everywhere. That is why a TA is a viable supplementary force. Apart from this, the state has already enacted legislation to create Village Defence Parties (VDPs), including in Shillong. We would like to see more localities and villages come forward to form VDPs, which can help maintain peace, combat narcotics, and generally strengthen community policing in Meghalaya,” he said.
On which department would oversee the TA, Lyngdoh said details were still being studied. “In Assam, the Territorial Army is under the Home Department. In our case, it could come under the Home Department or the Home Guards and Civil Defence. Once the cabinet approves the concept in principle, we will be able to update further,” he added.
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