Understanding the spirit of the demand for ILP : Need to neutralise the pull factor
- Sangai Express Editorial :: November 19 , 2013 -

Certain points need to be set straight.

The demand to implement the Inner Line Permit System in Manipur is not a manifestation of a phobia of outsiders.

It is not anti-any community, read the migrant workers who have been arriving in droves in Manipur and eking out a living, engaging themselves in all sorts of manual labour, skilled and unskilled.

Yet at the same time it should also be kept in mind, that Manipur cannot afford to become another Assam, where large scale influx of Bangladeshis have left a deep imprint on all spheres of life, political, social and economy and diluted the basic characteristics or hallmarks of the indigenous people of Assam.

This is what Manipur should be wary of and whether the ILPS is ultimately implemented or not, the guard against foreign migrants should never be relaxed.

The same vigil also needs to be mounted on the eastern side, where refugees from Myanmar have been making steady inroads down the years.

The need to differentiate between foreign and domestic migrant workers should be understood at all levels.

At the same time, questions may also be raised on whether the ILPS will be enough to effectively check the influx of migrant workers from outside Manipur.

A look at neighbouring Nagaland may be in line here.

The ILPS has been in force for decades in Nagaland, yet has this been able to check the inflow of migrant workers in the neighbouring State, especially its commercial centre, Dimapur ?

The Sangai Express does not have the figure of migrant workers of either Nagaland and Manipur, but the very fact that a group of people, christened the Sumis have emerged in Nagaland, particularly Dimapur should give an insight on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this system.

Sumis are the offsprings of migrant workers who entered into wedlock with the local girls in Nagaland and today, they are a community in itself.

Should be more than enough indication that for the ILPS to be effective, political will, coupled with social responsibility is a must, a necessity which cannot be wished away that easily.

The State Government appears to have taken note of the concerns raised by the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System, which is clearly reflected in the two resolutions passed by the Assembly on July 13, 2012 and again on June 13, 2013.

However as things stand today, nothing has moved beyond that, thus creating an impression that the State Government and the Centre are not exactly conducive to the idea of introducing the ILPS in the State.

Legislation is for the Government and while this is no doubt very important, it would be worthwhile to explore and study why migrant workers continue to flood Manipur, with their population increasing with each passing year.

Here it is important to refer to the Nagaland experience.

Human movement or migration is primarily based on two factors, the pull and push factors.

Apparently, the pull factor of Manipur is immense, if the number of migrant workers is anything to go by.

Time for all, and not only those in the forefront demanding the implementation of ILPS, to ponder over this question.

With the local people generally shying away from engaging in manual labour, never mind the large scale unemployment problem in the State, a vacuum is thus created and whenever any such vacuum is created, it is but natural for others to come in and fill this vacuum.

Apart from inculcating work culture amongst the people, the Government may also chip in and come up with a minimum wage policy, so that the migrant workers are not in a position to eat into the worksphere of the local people by offering service at much cheaper rates.

The spirit behind the demand to implement the ILPS should be appreciated, but it should not be confused or misinterpreted as a stand against any migrant workers.