Non-locals asked not to open shops, not to venture out
General strike affects normal life, JCILPS dubs Bill as a sell out
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 16 2015: Normal life came to a standstill in the State today due to the 18 hours general strike imposed by the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System in Manipur (JCILPS) demanding withdrawal of the draft Bill to regulate entry of migrants/non-locals which was tabled in the Assembly on March 13 .

The CBSE Class X and Class XII examinations were however left out of the purview of the bandh.

Asserting that the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers (MRVT&MW) Bill introduced in the State Assembly fails to protect the indigenous population, the JCILPS rejected the Bill on the ground that the Bill rather gives protection to the non-local migrants.

Since early morning today, strike supporters came out in large numbers at various parts of the State and burned tyres on the road.

Shops locked in the keithel area during the general strike

The strike supporters also staged road blocks at Uripok, Kakwa and Khurai area.

Traffic movement at these areas was badly affected.

Police personnel later arrived at the scenes and put off the fire on the roads thus allowing resumption of traffic movement.

Inter-districts passenger services stayed off the road.

Only few private vehicles were seen plying along the roads.

Normal activities also came to a halt at all the three main city markets and temporary market.

Business establishments and shops remained closed at Paona bazar, Thangal bazar and other market places of the capital.

Even as educational institutes in many parts of the State remained closed, Govt offices recorded minimal attendance record.

However, no reports of violence or untoward incidents occurred during the bandh hours were received.

As pre-emptive measures, a large number of police personnel were deployed at various important junctions of the State to prevent any untoward incident.

The bandh was also effective in Jiribam subdivision of Imphal East district, reports JNN.

Passenger service remained off the road and various Govt offices, banks and educational institutes remained closed for the day.

No untoward incident was reported though.

JCILPS Jiribam unit chairman, M Hemanta pledged to support any further steps taken by the Committee until the demands are achieved.

On the other hand, dubbing the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants, and Migrant Workers' Bill, 2015 as selling out the rights of the indigenous people, the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System has today asked all the non-locals to shut shop for the day, cease work, not to venture out from their homes and demanded that the Chief Minister should step down on moral ground.

The restriction came into effect from midnight today and will be in force till midnight of March 17 .

The JCILPS has also extended its gratitude to the people for making the 18 hour general strike a success.

The JCILPS also thanked the five MLAs for staging a walk out from the Assembly in protest against the Bill.

Announcing that it will soon launch a series of agitation, JCILPS in the statement said that the Bill which was passed in the Assembly today did not talk anything about saving the indigenous people but about safeguarding the migrants.

To underline its point, JCILPS quoted from the Bill as, 'A Bill to provide for registration of visitors, tenants and migrant workers for their safety and security and for maintenance of public order in the State of Manipur and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto' .

Tracing the origin of the movement, JCILPS said that after years of agitation, the State Government passed the Eastern Bengal Frontier Act, 1873, which was nothing but an eye wash.

As this Bill was not enforced as a law, another resolution was passed on July 12 in 2013.This too was not enforced as a law and a fresh round of agitation was launched constraining the Government to take a decision and announce the constitution of an All Political Party Committee on ILP at the fag end of the Monsoon session on July 28, 2014 .

The Committee was then formed on August 6, 2014, recounted JCILPS.

It was then decided between the JCILPS and the Committee to rope in the service of Constitutional and legal experts.

After receiving the inputs of several experts, a report was submitted to the Government on December 10, 2014, said the statement.

Thereafter the Dummy Bill was discussed between the Committee and the JCILPS but since there was some misgiving over the definition of permanent and non-permanent residents, a memorandum was submitted for inclusion in the Bill.

However the Government did a U turn on the recommendations and the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers' Bill, 2015 was introduced after the House session was extended to March 16 .

The Bill passed in the Assembly is meant to ride over the interest and survival of the indigenous people, claimed JCILPS and added that it has no provisions to save the local population.

After the Bill was passed there were protests galore in different parts of Imphal.