JCILPS, FoH disapprove, reject 1961 base year
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 23 2022: The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) as well as the Federation of Haomee (FoH) have expressed strong reservation against the Cabinet decision to adopt 1961 as base year for defining native people of Manipur under the Inner Line Permit System (ILPS) .

Speaking to media persons at the Keishampat office of IPSA this afternoon, JCILPS convenor Phulindro Konsam conveyed that they disapprove the Cabinet decision to adopt 1961 as the cut off base year for defining the native people of Manipur.

He said that JCILPS was spearheading a sustained mass movement for enforcement of ILPS or a similar system in the State.

JCILPS, FoH disapprove, reject 1961 base year

In view of the severe demographic imbalance which resulted from incessant influx of non-local people, JCILPS has been demanding adoption of 1951 as cut off base year, Phulindro said.

The pass and permit system which was in force in Manipur was abolished by then Commissioner Himat Singh on November 18, 1950.The abolition of the pass and permit system opened a floodgate of incessant influx.

In order to identify all the non-local people who came to the State after the pass and permit system was abolished, 1951 should be adopted as cut off base year, the JCILPS convenor insisted.

Adoption of the Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950 is another reason for the vehement demand to choose 1951 as the cut off base year.

The whole country of India had its census report starting from 1951 and this is the third reason behind the demand to choose 1951 as the cut off base year, he elucidated.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was created in 1951 and this is the fourth reason, Phulindro said.

The fifth reason behind the demand to adopt 1951 as cut off base year is the fact that the country's first electoral roll was created in 1948, he asserted.

Again, it was in 1951 that the village population directory was created and this is the sixth reason for the insistence to adopt 1951 as the cut off base year, he continued.

The population of non-indigenous people in Manipur is so huge that their number may have already touched the 10 lakh figure, he said.

For all these reasons, the JCILPS cannot accept the Cabinet decision to adopt 1961 as cut off base year, the JCILPS convenor said.

"Although it has been documented that around 1.5 lakh non-indigenous people came to Manipur between 1951 and 1961, I believe that around 2 lakh non-indigenous people came to the State during the particular decade", he said.

The issue had been deliberated repeatedly at several people's conventions and it was unanimously agreed to adopt 1951 as the cut off base year, he pointed out.

Saying that another people's convention would be held soon to deliberate the Cabinet decision, the JCILPS informed that they would chalk out a course of action to persuade the State Government to withdraw the Cabinet decision in case the people's convention again resolves to adopt 1951 as the cut off base year.

The ILPS enforced in the State at present does not set a base year nor does it define indigenous people.

As such, it is disappointingly ineffective, he remarked.

There is no proper mechanism to check expiry and renewal of permits given to non-indigenous people, he continued.

Saying that the they would exert pressure on the Government to make the ILPS effective, Phulindro conveyed that the JCILPS would also enquire the Government about its reasons for adopting 1961 as cut off base year.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Haomee (FoH) rued that the State Government should have first studied how the ILPS is being enforced in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland before adopting the Cabinet decision in favour of 1961 .

There is no question of base year in any of these three States and all the non-native people are placed within the purview of ILPS regardless of whether the non-native people have settled in these States for over 100 years, according to a press release issued by FoH president Sapamcha Jadumani.

Pointing out that the State Government is still unable to define native people even though ILPS was enforced since December 11, 2019, the FoH accused the State Government of scheming to project all the 'outsiders' too as indigenous people.

Such a policy would only facilitate establishment of a new society completely dominated by non-local people after exterminating the indigenous people whose number is already quite limited, it alleged.

Asking if the Government had ever initiated any action to detect and deport all the foreigners who sneaked into the State from Bangladesh and Myanmar and settled within the State under the Foreigners' Act 1946, the FoH urged the State Government to identify immigrant settlers and define indigenous people correctly if the Government wishes to save the indigenous people.

The FoH too urged the State Government to withdraw the Cabinet decision and adopt 1951 as the cut off base year.