JCILPS rejects Bill, calls 18 hour bandh
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 15 2015: The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has announced its decision to impose an 18 hour bandh from midnight of today as well as to boycott the extended Assembly session tommorrow and also burntt copies of the Bill in front of the JCILPS office today evening.

The Committee also demanded that the Bill be withdrawn.

The general strike will however be relaxed for students appearing for their Class X and Class XII board exams.

Essential services like medical, fire service and religious ceremonies will be exempted from the purview of the proposed bandh.

The Bill was tabled in the Assembly by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi on March 13 in line with the demand to enact the Inner Line Permit System or a similar law to protect the indigenous people of the State.

Women wing members of JCILPS burning copies of the Bill

Speaking to media persons, Ibotombi Khuman convenor of the JCILPS said that the Bill put up by the Chief Minister in the Assembly is totally against the protection of indigenous people.

On the contrary it is aimed at safeguarding and protecting the non locals in the State, he alleged.

Ibotombi said that the Bill is totally different from the dummy Bill which was shown to them during a meeting with the State Government in the presence of All Political Party members constituted for the implementation of ILPS in the State.

Legal experts were also present on the said day, he added.

The JCILPS got hold of a copy of the Bill only yesterday and after minutely studying the Bill it came to light that there is not a single point about protecting the indigenous people of the State, said Ibotombi.

During the meeting and in the dummy Bill it was made clear that a pass or a permit was to be issued to the non-locals.

The pass or permit had to mention the time period the outsiders are going to stay in the State after checking the ID issued by the Government of India, he said However the Bill makes no mention of a pass or a permit.

Only registrations of migrant workers by the contractor who have brought the migrants for works is mentioned.

He also stated the Bill says that if the visitor stays in the State for a month on rent or in a hotel, the hotel owner or house owner has to register the individual.

If the hotel owner or house owner fail to register their stay then they have to pay a fine of Rs 10 thousand.

The fine is to be borne by the hotel owner or house owner and not by the non local visitors.

In the case of migrant workers brought in by a contractor the fine is Rs 25 thousand to be borne by the contractor.

Failure to issue pass or permit to the non-locals will allow the visitors to move freely by carrying just an ID card issued by Government and this is not acceptable, he added.

Ibotombi also said that their five point demand put up before the State Government in a meeting has been brushed aside.

Moreover the Bill makes no mention of a cut off base year for non-locals.

There is also no clear mention about land ownership.

The only demand of JCILPS which has been included in the Bill is the registration of migrant workers in the Labour Department after proper verification of identity proof, he said.

Ibotombi further alleged that the Bill is totally for the protection and safety of non-locals and migrant workers and hence the agitation will continue until and unless the demand is fulfilled satisfactorily, he said.

Stating that the Congress Legislature Party in a meeting yesterday had decided to pass a resolution to pass the Bill in the Assembly tomorrow, Ibotombi said that the Bill must be withdrawn as it is against the interest of the indigenous people.

L Nganbi, convenor of Women Wing said that for the past many years the people of the State have been demanding the implementation of a law to protect the indigenous people of the State.

However the Bill tabled by the CM is totally against the indigenous people, she asserted.

She further said that confrontations might break out between the women and the MLAs if they fail to work in accordance with the desire of the people.

Somendro Thokchom co-convenor of JCILPS said that the Bill has shocked and disheartened them.

Not a single point recommended by the All Political Party has been included in the Bill, he alleged and added that the Bill is for the protection of visitors, tenants and migrant workers and for maintaining public order.

He also questioned whether the Bill has been drafted by the State Government or by outsiders.