ILP guidelines hollow and spineless: Student bodies
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 04 2020:
Several student bodies have decried that the Manipur Inner Line Permit Guidelines 2019 are a hollow and spineless system which would not be able to protect the indigenous people effectively.
Speaking to media persons at their office located inside DM University campus this evening on behalf of AMSU, MSF, DESAM, KSA, SUK and AIMS, AMSU president Peter Laishram said that the Manipur ILP Guidelines 2019 published in the State gazette on December 31 contain a number of ambiguous terms while it does not mention any base year or any mechanism to protect land, economic and political rights of the indigenous people.
He said that the six student bodies see the guidelines as totally hollow and bereft of any substance.
He then demanded the State Government to draft new guidelines at the earliest which can effectively protect the identity, culture and traditions of indigenous people and safeguard their economic and political rights.
Citing an example, Peter pointed out that para no 8, clause I of the guidelines says indigenous persons and permanent residents would not be covered by ILP.
But the guidelines do not define indigenous persons and permanent residents, he said.
Clauses II and VI of the same para say that ILP would be relaxed for all India service officers, Central Government and State Government officers, employees of Central corporations and Government undertakings, employees of Central paramilitary forces, employees of armed forces and their families.
Again, the guidelines do not define family members of these categories of officers and employees, Peter remarked.
All these ambiguous terms should be defined clearly and the guidelines should have a base year.
The Government should draft a new set of guidelines which would effectively enable the indigenous people protect their land as well as economic and political rights, he demanded.
After the new guidelines are published, non-local people who have been already residing in the State as well as those who come anew should be issued permits, he continued.
He said that the six student bodies would submit a memorandum to the State Government by January 10 which would highlight all the loopholes and necessary rectifications.
Notably, the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873 was extended to Manipur by a notification published in the gazette of India on December 11 last year.
Subsequently, the Manipur ILP Guidelines 2019 were framed by the State Government.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha passed the CAB on December 10 before it was cleared by the Rajya Sabha on the next day.
As Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the CAB in the Lok Sabha, he announced that ILPS would be extended to Manipur so as to protect the State from any harmful effect of CAB.