MLA Anand for political steps to check influx
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 02 2011: Taking serious note of the incessant influx of non-local people, MLA RK Anand has emphasised on the need to check the influx through political means.

As part of their campaign to seek opinions of MLAs and Ministers about their demand to enforce Inner Line Permit System in Manipur, Federation of Regional Indigenous Society (FREINDS) president Sapamcha Jadumani called on MLA and Anand and talked about the issue today at the latter's house.

Anand stated that certain political steps need to be taken to check the fast multiplying population of non-local people.

The issue of influx of non-local people should be viewed with all seriousness by all political parties, MLAs and Ministers irrespective of whether one belongs to the hills or the valley, Anand said.

The apprehension that the indigenous people would be rendered minority in their own land one day if the influx is not checked in time is well-founded, he noted.

The swelling population of non-local people has become a serious threat to the politics, economy, culture and social traditions of the indigenous people.

He also hailed as justified and politically correct the initiative of FREINDS to enforce Inner Line Permit System and to allow entry of non-local people only after issuing permits.

Anand assured that he would raise the issue in the forthcoming monsoon session of the Assembly and seek consensus of the House to enforce Inner Line Permit System in Manipur.

Even as the Indian constitution allows citizens of India to settle in any part of the country, the same provision of the Constitution needs serious re-thinking in the context of small States like Manipur which is inhabited by different indigenous communities who are numerically very small.

On the other hand, it has been accepted in the international level that all small indigenous communities should be saved and allowed to survive and prosper.

This has also been incorporated in the objectives of the United Nations.

For all these reasons, it is necessary to enforce Inner Line Permit System in Manipur so as to check influx of non-local people and save the indigenous people from being overwhelmed by immigrants.

The demand for enforcement of Inner Line Permit System is not against the Constitution of India nor is it an act of creating divisions among citizens of India.

Pointing out that the Indian Constitution has no provision to safeguard interests of smaller communities, RK Anand observed that enforcement of Inner Line Permit System in States like Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland etc is justifiable.

According to 2001 census report, the total population of non-local people in Manipur was around seven lakhs.

The population of Meiteis was 7,51,452 whereas the total population of tribes was six lakhs while that of Meitei Pangals was a little more than lakh.

This implied that the total population of non-locals had already ready one-third of the total population of Manipur.

Recalling that the Inner Line Permit System enforced in Manipur was abolished after the merger of Manipur into the Indian Union by the then Commissioner on November 18, 1950, RK Anand said that decadal growth rate as recorded in 1951 census was 12 per cent.

But in the next decade (1951-1961), the growth rate rose to 35 per cent.

This meant that free influx of non-local people started during this decade, Anand deduced.

Saying that FREINDS have started talking with MLAs and Ministers for enforcement of Inner Line Permit System, Sapamcha Jadumani informed that they would continue lobbying in different forms.

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