JCILPS to stop entry of 'outsiders' from Jun 1

Imphal, May 30 2013[e-pao]--- The Joint Committee on Implementation on Inner Line Permit System in Manipur (JCILPS) has decided to launch an intense campaign of checking entry and ferrying of 'outsiders' into Manipur from June 1 to 10 .

Speaking to media persons here this afternoon, convenor of the committee Sapamcha Jadumani pointed out that the ultimatum submitted to the Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister of Manipur on May 10 is approaching its final days.

If the Government does not come up with a definite decision regarding implementation of Inner Line Permit System in Manipur by May 31, no outsiders would be allowed entry in Manipur from June 1 to 5 and from June 6 to 10, no 'outsiders' would be allowed movement in any locality of the State.

These points were conveyed to the Government through the ultimatum, Jadumani said.

After submitting the ultimatum, JCILPS representatives held a meeting with Chief Minister O Ibobi on May 20 .

While terming the committee's proposed line of agitation as anti-national, Ibobi appealed to abstain from any such action.

Ibobi also made it clear that the Government would take up befitting action if the proposed agitation is not called off.

Co-convenor of the joint committee Mutum Churamani again quoted the Chief Minister as saying that enforcement of ILPS in Manipur would invite similar demands in other Indian States and it would create a big issue in the country.

The question is, whether extinction of the indigenous people of Manipur is of lesser concern than any problem arising out of implementation of ILPS.

ILPS is currently in force in Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunchal Pradesh but these are not declared as anti-national states, Churamani asserted.

"If the Chief Minister is concerned about disintegration of India because of implementing ILPS in Manipur, then who would bear responsibility when all the indigenous people are wiped out after railway line reaches Imphal because of influx of outsiders into Manipur in millions?" Churamani questioned.

Another co-convenor and media coordinator Somorendro Thokchom said that the State Government is not serious about the issue.

Even as the Manipur Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution on July 13 last year in favour of implementing ILPS in Manipur, neither subject nor object was inserted when copy of the resolution was dispatched to the Ministry of Home Affairs which only exposed that the State Government was never sincere on the public called ILPS, Somorendro decried.

The Chief Minister may be unaware that 20,000 voters of Jiribam AC are outsiders as against 28,000 total voters.

Apart from that, outsiders now constitute a deciding factor during elections in many Assembly constituencies like Thangmeiband, Wangkhei, Uripok, Sagolband, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Chandel, he added.

"If the Chief Minister was afraid of disintegration of India, then why did the MLAs took a resolution in the State Assembly and sent the same to the Ministry of Home Affairs?" asked another co-convenor Md Kheiruddin.

He also added that suppression of people's movement with brute force would not bring any permanent solution.

Manipur CM says Centre yet to decide on inner line permit

IMPHAL, May 22, 2013 [ET]--- Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has said that Centre is yet to take a decision on the implementation of inner line permit system in the state even as the resolution of the state Assembly on the issue has been sent to the Union Home Ministry.

Speaking at the 'anti-terrorism day' at Congress here last evening, Singh said any organisation should not take any anti-national action while demanding implementation of the inner line permit system in the state.

He said the state government was prepared to detect foreigners who entered the state without valid document but compatriots from other states could not be expelled from the state.

Singh's comment followed the recent statement of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) that it (committee) would prevent entry of outsiders from June 1 if the inner line permit system was not implemented to protect the separate identities of indigenous people.

Sources in the JCILPS demanded immediate implementation of inner line system like in neighbouring Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

It had said they would prevent entry of outsiders from June 1 to 5 and outsiders, already in the state, would not be allowed to enter local areas from June 6 to 10 as a part of the series of "democratic" stirs it would launch.

JCILPS sources said they were not against outsiders but wanted a system to restrict their entry so that separate identities of the local and indigenous people could be protected.

Protected area rules' relaxation extended in 3 NE states

Jan 25 (IANS): The Union home ministry has relaxed for another year the protected area rules in three northeastern states - Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland - to allow foreign tourists to visit these states, an official said here Friday.

"The Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order 1958 has been relaxed for one more year beyond Dec 31 last year to allow foreign tourists to visit the three northeastern states subject to certain conditions," a Mizoram government official told IANS. The rules were first relaxed in 2010 and this has been extended every year/

He said the central government relaxed the over five decades old rules to allow foreign tourists, except those from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and Myanmar, in the three northeastern states.

Under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, all areas in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand are declared "protected areas", and foreigners need government permissions to visit them.

According to a report by tourism organisations, about 58,000 foreign tourists visited the northeastern region last year, up by 18 percent from 2011. It was also estimated that tourist arrivals can increase by 25 percent within a year following relaxation of rules.

Non-domicile Indians and foreign nationals need to obtain either "inner line" or protected area or restricted area permit from the concerned authorities to visit many of the northeastern states excluding Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.

According to the Mizoram government official, the central government has been studying the permit-related issues following requests of the northeastern state governments.

"The PMO (prime minister's office) has also been examining the permit related matters and is now consulting with the concerned state governments," the official added.

Source