ILP comes into effect in Manipur

The Inner Line Permit (ILP) system will come into force in Manipur from Wednesday with the state government opening booths in all entry points including the borders with Myanmar.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said the travel permits would be manually issued from Wednesday while the same would be done online gradually. "The long demand of the indigenous people in the state will be fulfilled from tomorrow as they consider illegal migration as a threat to their culture and identity. But at the same time, I have instructed the officials to make sure that no one is harassed in the name of the ILP," Singh said.

People from the rest of the country are required to have the travel permit under the ILP system. The ILP was introduced under the Bengal Frontier Regulation Act 1873, which was allowed to continue in 1950.

Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland at present have ILP, which can be availed online or offline by submitting identity details and clearly mentioning travel dates and purpose of visit. Initially, the ILP is issued for a week.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 11 announced that the ILP would be introduced in Manipur in view of the fears expressed by the state's indigenous people about the possible impact of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019. The Centre decided that the states having ILP and the areas under autonomous councils set up under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution would be exempted from the purview of the CAA.

Most parts of the Northeast are, however, still witnessing protest against the amendment that seeks to offer citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who had migrated till December 2014.