EXTENSION OF INNER LINE PERMIT TO DIMAPUR

On 9th December 2019, the Nagaland government through an official notification has extended the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime to the Dimapur district, the commercial hub of the state. This was the only district that was not under the ILP regime, unlike the rest of Nagaland, which came into being in 1963. The notification issued by the chief secretary of the state stated- "In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, and in the interest of the public, the Governor of Nagaland is pleased to extend the Inner Line to cover the entire District of Dimapur with immediate effect. The said notification was issued in pursuance of the state cabinet decisions of February 15, 2019 whereby the Cabinet had approved the proposal to extend the ILP to Dimapur. Kishor Kumar Kalita writes

- Kishor Kumar Kalita

According to this notification all non-indigenous people who have entered the district after November 21, 1979, would have to obtain an ILP within 90 days from December 9. It said that those settled or entered before November 21, 1979, and had been staying continuously, would be exempted from the ILP regime along with his/her direct descendants. However, the notification categorically mentioned that the nonindigenous persons living in Dimapur prior to November 21, 1979, would have to produce documents like entry of name in the electoral roll, land/property documents, house tax, entry of name in the electoral roll of the town committee, school records, trade licenses etc. to the Dimapur deputy commissioner for exemption. Any non-indigenous person passing through the district as a transit passenger and having a valid ticket would not be required to obtain Inner Line Permit, the notification said.

The system of ILP is applicable in a particular area or of a state under the provisions of Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. Section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, provides that citizens of other states require ILP for visiting these states.

The main objective of the ILP system is to prevent the settlement of other Indian nationals in these states to protect the indigenous population. There are also protections for the locals with regard to land, jobs and other facilities. Besides Nagaland and Manipur, the ILP regime is also applicable to Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Such an expansion drive of Inner Line Permit is a result and a counter product of massive widespread protests in the Northeast against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, for which Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced that C(A)A would not be applicable to ILP regime states and areas governed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.