IMPHAL, July 7: The Manipur People’s Party (MPP) has submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh today apprising him of the need to introduce the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to check continuous influx of migrants to the state.
Addressing media persons today at the head-office of MPP, the president of MPP, Dr Nimaichand Luwang stated that heavy influx of outsiders (migrants) into the state in an alarming rate without any restraint for the past many years has caused severe demographic imbalance which has perturbed the minds of the indigenous people.
If this trend continues unchecked and unhindered, a time will surely come at no distant date when the indigenous people of Manipur will become foreigners in their own land after they are out-numbered by outsiders. This will cast a slur on the fairness of the Indian Constitution and the good name of India, he noted.
As per the resolution of the erstwhile “Durbar”, a foreigners’ department was established way back in the year 1932 to prohibit the entry of foreigners i.e. non-Manipuris to Manipur without due permit. This was a very effective tool to control and regulate the unrestrained influx of non-Manipuris to the state. However, after the merger of Manipur to India, the permit system was abolished on November 18, 1950 by an administrative order of the then Chief Commissioner of Manipur, Himmat Singh, the president of MPP asserted.
Dr Nimaichand further maintained that the order gave alarming signals to Manipur. A drastic change came in the population composition of this small state after the abolition of this Permit or Passport system. Every decade the number of outsiders increased by leaps and bounds. It has not only given threats to the protection of the land of the indigenous people but also has created instability in the law and order of Manipur and also alarmed the indigenous people of this state lest the political power may pass into the hands of the migrants and outsiders. Moreover, the economy of the indigenous people has been greatly affected by the flooding new-comers.
The census report of 2001 stands witness to a grim fact that one-third of the total population of Manipur is covered by the non-Manipuris, that is to say, out of a total population of 22, 93,896., the number of outsiders is 7, 04,488 whereas the indigenous hill people’s total population is only 6, 70,982. It is surprising and perturbing to know that the outsiders (Non-Manipuris) out-number the whole population of the hill people of Manipur.
The census report of 2011 also forecasts a grave political and electoral future of Manipur in the coming years. The introduction of Inner Line Permit in Manipur has become a great necessity as a remedy to the influx of migrants. The ILP system is implemented in three states of the North-East India, namely Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, he contended.
The MPP president has also urged the Prime Minister to look into the matter with the deepest concern and cause to re-introduce the permit system that was in vogue in Manipur up to November 18, 1950 under the new name of Inner Line Permit system in the state.
The members of MPP also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the departed personnel of MR and IRB who were killed yesterday in a landslide accident.
