IMPHAL, February 24: The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has sent a reminder to the Chief Minister of Manipur demanding changes of terminologies and further issues of redefinition, replacement of clauses in the draft bill, the Manipur regulation of visitors and tenants bill, 2015.
In a statement issued by S Rajendrakumar, secretary to convenor, pointed out that the JCILPS submitted important proposals on February 14 for the ILP bill during the ensuing Assembly session demanding an important legislation of Protection of the indigenous Peoples of Manipur and necessary legislation to the effect.
It revealed that during the meeting held on February 14 with the Chief Minister and the representatives of the JCILPS, the contents of the Government proposed draft bill were disclosed to the representatives however it completely bypassed the aspiration of the people of Manipur.
Subsequently, as a representative of the movements for the interest of the indigenous people the committee recommended certain modifications in the draft bill of the Manipur Regulation of Visitors and Tenants Bill, 2015, it said.
Further elaborating on their modification, the committee reportedly pointed out that in the title of the Bill, the word `Visitors`™ was vague and innocuous, rather demanded a suitable terminology `Non-indigenous` or `Non-Manipuri` or `Migrants` in lieu of `Visitors`.
It put forwards that the passing of the bill in the proposed draft would legitimize the presence of people who had earlier resided in Manipur since 1949, and demanded a cut-off base year 1951 as an unavoidable component in the proposed legislation in order to mitigate demographic and socio-economic imbalance developing in the multi-ethnic population of Manipur.
Observing that a clear objective in the bill for protection of the indigenous peoples of Manipur and its land from demographic marginalisation must be mentioned in the Bill, it held that the objective should be `the necessity to protect the Minorities, distinct ethnic Manipuris who deserves their rightful preservation such as social, cultural, economic and political practices`, etc.
It continued that in the reminder the committee also asked the Chief Minister that the indigenous people in the context of Manipur be inserted in the bill as the ethnic communities who had been born in the state along with those who had merged into the population through kingship and through sharing of its socio-economic, cultural and multi-ethnic civilisation of the state.
In the meantime, it further demanded inclusion explicit legislations like a permit or a pass for migrants as regards to their purpose, whereabouts and validity etc of their presence.
It also said that a cut-off of base year of 1951 to all people participating and creating of demographic influx into the state besides prohibiting land ownership rights to all non-indigenous people and necessary procedure be included in the preparation of the bill proposed.
Further narrowing down to the menace of migrant influx, it urged that a full fledged labour department which has outreach in all the district of Manipur be strengthened in operational matters for registration and regulation of inter-state migrant labourers, and its necessary rules be framed.
At the same, demanded the inclusion mechanism for detection and deporation of illegal migrants or other non-indigenous people, in the proposed bill.