IMPHAL, May 3: Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has announced a 42-hour State-wide public curfew with effect from May 5 midnight.
Speaking at a press conference held at their Keishampat office, JCILPS convenor Khomdram Ratan said that the public curfew has been announced to denounce Government’s delaying tactics regarding implementation of ILPS in the State.
Saying that the public curfew would be effective till 6 pm of May 7, Ratan said that religious activities, medical, fire, water supply, power department and other essential services would be exempted from the purview of the public curfew.
He said that all the political parties active in Manipur must announce their stand on ILPS within May 8.
The parties must also announce whether they would allow to contest election by non-locals in the Imphal Municipal Council election slated for June this year, he said and added that the parties must also spell out their stance on deleting the names of non-locals from voter lists before the election.
Maintaining that the decision to impose public curfew was taken as per the resolution of the people’s convention held at MDU yesterday, Ratan said that it was decided in the convention to resume intense agitations to demand implementation of ILPS in the State.
Saying that JCILPS and the State Government inked a seven-point agreement last year, Ratan said that of these seven points, the State Government could have acted on three points without consulting or taking approval from the Centre.
However, the State Government has failed to take up any step regarding the matter even after eight months.
Ratan said that setting up of Manipur State Population Commission and Manipur State Land Reforms Commission and translation of the agreements inked between the Government and AMSU in 1980 into action can be fulfilled by the State Government without consulting the Centre.
On the other hand, he said, JCILPS had conducted a survey of the voter lists ahead of IMC election.
In some polling stations, 100 per cent of the voters are non-locals while in many other polling stations, above 50 per cent of the voters are non-locals, Ratan said.
As such, people need to prevent non-locals from casting votes in the upcoming IMC election, he observed.
JCILPS Student Wing convenor urged the public to extend co-operation and support to the agitation.
He said that the Student Wing would boycott the political parties indefinitely if they fail to spell out their stand on contesting election by non-locals and deletion of their names from voter lists within the given time.
