Train connection to Manipur : MPP wary of unchecked incursion
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 04 2021: Wary of the possible situation Manipur may face after train connects Imphal with the rest of the country, the Manipur Peoples' Party has drawn the attention of the State Government to effectively implement the Inner Line Permit System (ILPS).

Leaders of BJP and Congress have been continuously telling the people of Manipur that the train connection will facilitate easy movements for students seeking education outside the State, patients needing treatment in other States, in tour and travel and most importantly in doing trade and commerce, said MPP while maintaining that the reality could be something else.

The State had remained as a princely State under British rule but the Congress had suspended ILPS and largely encouraged population influx from in and outside the country right after Manipur merged with India in 1950, said MPP.

Years after the continued protest, ILPS was suddenly announced by the Home Minister amidst protest against Citizen Amendment Bill (now CAA) in December 2019 and implemented from January 1, 2020, MPP recalled.

Even though ILPS has been enforced, important aspects such as base year for identification of non locals has not been discussed and so the implementation remains partial, it said.

As such, it is high time CSOs, all political parties and experts deliberate on how to devise an effective policy to check influx of outsiders and prevent them from taking over social and political control.

The State Government should also establish a department dedicated to ILPS and strictly enforce it before the train brings in outsiders in bulk, MPP continued.

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