JCILPS demands 'effective' ILP guidelines
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 14 2021:
The JCILPS has urged the State Government to amend the Manipur Inner Line Permit Guidelines 2019 before the election code of conduct comes into force so as to make it more comprehensive and effective in protecting the indigenous people.
Speaking to media persons at their Sega Road, Konjeng Hazari Leikai office this afternoon, JCILPS convenor BK Moirangcha' recalled that the President of India issued an order on December 11, 2019 whereby Inner Line Permit System was enforced in Manipur under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873.Subsequent upon the President's order, the Manipur Inner Line Permit Guidelines 2019 was published in the State gazette on December 31, 2019 and it came into effect immediately.
However, the Manipur ILP Guidelines 2019 does not contain anything which can effectively protect indigenous people nor does it incorporate the people's aspiration, BK Moirangcha remarked.
He then urged the State Government to amend the guidelines and make it more effective and comprehensive by incorporating clauses which can protect the indigenous people of the land.
The guidelines do not identify or define indigenous people nor does it define permanent residents.
The guidelines should be amended and the new version must define permanent residents, he said.
The existing Manipur ILP Guidelines 2019 does not mention any base year but the amended one should adopt 1951 as the base year, said the JCILPS convenor.
On why 1951 should be adopted as base year, the convenor said that the then Chief Commissioner Himat Singh abolished the entry and exit system, which was in force in Manipur, on November 18, 1950 .
Moreover, the first census of independent India was carried out in 1951 .
That is why, the people of Manipur have been demanding adoption of 1951 as the base year, he said.
He further demanded establishment and activation of the Manipur Population Commission as the State Cabinet has already adopted a resolution in this regard.
All those people who came to Manipur and settled here after 1951 should be identified and removed from the electoral rolls by November 30, he demanded.
Meanwhile, a large number of non-Manipuris who do not possess ILP pass have been detected.
The Government should immediately initiate a verification exercise and send back all those non-Manipuri people who do not possess ILP pass as well as all those who do not renew expired ILP passes.
Together with the masses, JCILPS would launch a drive from November 17 to identify all those non-Manipuris who do not possess ILP passes as well as those whose ILP passes have expired and hand them over to police, he continued.
The order issued by the Deputy Secretary (Home) whereby Section 7 (a) of the Manipur ILP Guidelines 2019 has been invalidated is unacceptable to the JCILPS, he asserted.
By invalidating Section 7 (a), the Government implies that there would be no check gates at Moreh and Behiang.
The Government might be thinking that the Foreigners Act would be enough to check entry of non-local people as both the check gates are located close to Myanmar border.
But there is no guarantee that non-local people who are not foreigners would not enter Manipur through these check gates, he said.
JCILPS sees a hidden agenda behind removing the Section 7 (a), BK Moirangcha said.
Saying that newly elected office bearers of JCILPS and its constituent organisations have deliberated on the issue and adopted several resolutions, the convenor informed that they would soon submit a memorandum to the Government.
The new office bearers of JCILPS were elected on November 1 and they were sworn in on November 3 .
Following the election of the new office bearers, the JCILPS has introduced new letterheads and seals.
As such, the committee's previous letterheads and seals would not be used any more, he added.
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