IMPHAL, June 9 (NNN): Even as the 5th Session of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly is all set to begin from June 10, the movement to implement the Inner Line Permit System in Manipur is hotting up in the state with agitation on the issue is fast spreading.
Today, women folks of Khwairamband Keithel halted their business and carried out sit-in-protest in the heart of Imphal demanding the implementation of Inner Line Permit system in the state.
Under the banner of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS), agitation has been going on carried out by various groups since June 1. The agitation was planned till June 10 but on Saturday it had been extended till June 15.
From June 1 till June 5, volunteers of JCILPS barred non-locals ( people from mainland India) were barred entering Manipur and from June 6, the non-locals have been restricted from selling goods in the localities in Imphal.
Several volunteers involving in the agitation were picked up by police only to be set free yesterday.
It is speculated that the coming assembly session will be dominated by the issue of Inner Line Permit issue.
Since June 1, the state government has been on high alert keeping up tight and strict security measures to thwart any untoward incident arising out of the ongoing agitation.
With the dateline of the ultimatum given to Manipur Government to clear its stance on introduction of Inner Line Permit system in the state had ended last month, JCILPS had on May 30 decided to go on with its earlier decision to stop visiting of non-locals to the state from June 1-5 and disallow outsiders to enter into the lanes and localities of the state from June 6-10.
Meanwhile, in a seperate press conference, The All manipur Students’ Guardians’ Organisation has also announced its support to the ILP demand agitation.
The All Manipur Students’ Guardians’ Organisation (AMSGO) has stated that the arrest of “25 students of the student wing of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS)” by the government would not bring a solution to the movement of the student wing demanding to implement ILP system in the state.
Speaking at a press conference at its office today, S Sumati, secretary AMSGO said the students are launching movements from June 5 to 15, 2013 demanding the implementation of ILP as the government has suppressed the issue for so long. Recently the government has stated that it also want the ILP implementation and informed the same to the central government by passing a resolution in the Assembly session last year.
Neither the movement of the students’ wing is anti-social nor have the volunteers mistreated any non-locals, she said.
They are only asking for a permit for their entry and exit into the state with proper identity, she said and added it is wrong when the government says the movement is anti-social, she added.
She appealed the government to attend to the state issues in time.
The student wings’ demand is not for personal gains but for the welfare of the state, its indigenous people and also the government, she continued.
AMSGO appealed the government to resolve the ILP issue in the very first day of the Assembly Session which is scheduled to be held from tomorrow and implement the same like it is in Mizoram by amending the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873.
The government should produce a white paper publicly and ascertain a fix time for ILP implementation in the state, she demanded.
It should discussed in detail the demands of JCILPS and its students wing and take a big responsibility by bringing up the issue in the coming Assembly session to bring an amicable solution, she appealed and said AMSGO will support the democratic movements of the students wing.