Demand for Inner Line Permit - Time to give the right punch -
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 17, 2012 -
After a lull, demand for re-introduction of Inner Line Permit seems to have gained momentum once again with three student bodies pitching in their efforts to the cause being spearheaded by Federation of Regional Indigenous Society (FREINDS) since 1993.
As a matter of fact, entry of Indian nationals and foreigners are restricted in certain States and parts thereof in the North Eastern Region under three restrictive regimes which are dealt with by the Foreigners Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
These are Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Indian citizens, Protected Area Permit (PAP) for foreign nationals and Restricted Area Permit (RAP) for foreign nationals.
In case of Inner Line Permit, it is required for Indian citizens to enter three North Eastern States including Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram as well as Sikkim.
It is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period.
The document is an effort by the Government to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India. Similar system was in place in Manipur until it was abolished by an administrative order of the then Chief Commissioner Himmat Singh on November 18, 1950.
Subsequently, a drastic change in the demographic composition of this small hilly state has been witnessed with number of influx outsiders increasing by leaps and bounds over the decades. This has led to the demand for re-introduction of Inner Line Permit System to check inflow of outsiders.
Over the years, various movements have been launched to press the demand for enforcement of Inner Line Permit System in Manipur taking into account of the challenges posed by unrestrained influx of outsiders to the identity, culture, tradition, economy and policy of the indigenous people.
Concerns have also been expressed over involvement of influx outsiders in criminal activities, thereby aggravating the already volatile law and order situation of the State.
In the wake of strong public demand, the question of enforcing Inner Line Permit system had been deliberated in the state Assembly in September last year and it was followed by a state Cabinet meeting on September 27.
Though the state government is believed to have no reservation against introduction of Inner Line Permit in Manipur, the issue is still within the purview of the Union government.
Accordingly, it had been decided to approach the Centre for re-introduction of Inner Line Permit System.
Now, while it is important on the part of the state government to take a proactive stand and pursue the matter to its logical conclusion, the social organizations campaigning for the cause need to join hands for a concerted and sustained movement instead of speaking from different platforms over the same demand.
We need to think over why similar campaigns in the past have not bore the desire results. More than any new strategies, what we need at the moment is strong diplomacy, and this can be possible only when the issue is raised from the common springboard.
It is only a clenched fist that can give the right punch and not a loose fist or an open palm.
* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.