Govt, JCILPS achieve breakthrough, public meeting today
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 19 2015: The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) which has been spearheading the ongoing mass movement for enforcement of Inner Line Permit System or a similar mechanism in Manipur has finally come to an agreement with the State Government.

The breakthrough was achieved in the third round of meeting held between the two sides today.

However, JCILPS maintained that a public meeting would be held tomorrow at MDU Hall at 10 am and they would talk again with the Government based on the resolutions of the meeting in the afternoon.

They maintained that democratic forms of agitation would go on until the new Bill drafted by the drafting committee headed by Law Minister Th Debendra is passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly.

JCILPS members briefing media after the meeting

The meeting which started at 11.30 am and went on till 5 pm was attended by Chief Minister O Ibobi, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, Law Minister Th Debendra, other Ministers and MLAs.

JCILPS was represented by 12 members headed by convenor-in-charge Khom-dram Ratan.

Six members of the consultative committee (drafting committee) led by Dr Arambam Lokendra were also present at the meeting.

After the meeting, a joint statement signed by Special Secretary (Home) M Yaiskul Meitei and JCILPS convenor-in-charge Khomdram Ratan was issued to media.

According to the joint statement, the meeting agreed to incorporate all the five points suggested by JCILPS in different relevant Bills.

Briefing media persons at the gate of the Chief Minister's office, Ratan said that the five points they have been insisting have been incorporated in the new Bill and other details were discussed at the meeting.

At the end of the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Government.

Notably, the JCILPS has been persistently demanding the Government to incorporate the particular five points in the Bill drafted anew in place of the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers Bill 2015 which the Manipur Legislative Assembly resolved to withdraw.

JCILPS would maintain total transparency in dealing with the ILPS issue and a public meeting would be held tomorrow.

Based on the resolutions of the meeting, JCILPS would talk again with the Government in the afternoon, Ratan said.

Of the five points JCILPS insisted, the questions about adopting 1951 as cut-off base year for identification of indigenous people and repatriation of non-local people still remain somewhat obscure, Ratan said.

He added that democratic forms of agitation would continue until the Bill is passed.

Notably, many people including young students have been fasting at different places demanding enforcement of ILPS or similar mechanism.