Taking steps to ensure safety safety of state: Meghalaya govt

The Meghalaya government today said it is taking all steps and measures to ensure the state is "free from danger" in view of the recent al-Qaeda threat to set up wings in neighbouring Assam and other parts of the country.
A high level security meeting was convened by Chief Secretary P B O Warjri upon direction from the state Home Minister Roshan Warjri here.
"I have asked for a high level security meeting to be convened because as a government we are really concerned about the statement of al-Qaeda," the home minister told reporters here after the meeting.
"A communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been circulated to the state government on the matter," she said adding "And we have decided to work in close tandem with the central intelligence agencies."

The al-Qaeda threat bears significance for Meghalaya in view of the fact that the state shares an international border with Bangladesh.
The state government is also looking into the angle of the possibility of militant groups operating in the state from developing links with the terrorist outfit.

"All aspects and angles including public safety were taken into consideration during the meeting and appropriate measures have been worked out," Warjri said.
"The state government is also contemplating to convene a similar meeting with the BSF," she said.
Chief Secretary P B O Warjri said, "It is too early at the moment to assess how serious is the threat to the state, but we are prepared for it."

Earlier, a meeting chaired by the chief secretary was attended by the Director General of Police (DGP) P J P Hanaman besides senior government and police officers, officials said.