JCILPS sets deadline for bill committee

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Aug 9

Joint Action Committee on Inner Line Permit Sytem (JCILPS) today set August end as the deadline for the government to constitute a drafting committee for a new bill on the line of ILP.

Addressing International Day of World’s Indigenous People held at Keishampat Keisham Leikai Yumjao Lairembi community hall, JCILPS convener Arjun Tenheiba accused the governemnt of not giving serious attention on framming legislation for safeguarding interet of the indigenous people.

Like other parts of the world the day is celebrated in the state also organised by Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS).

“The government should set up the drafting committee,” he demanded.

He said the proposed bill must have the consent of all MLAs including those from the hills, ministers, tribal leaders and civil society organisations (CSO).

“Such a bill should not affect the interest of all the ethnic groups of the state,” he added.

The government must take action before the end of this month. If the state government fails to take action the JCILPS with various CSOs will launch an agitation, Arjun warned.

He said, according to United Nations, indigenous people are those who have unique identity culturally, geographically of the native place. Manipur was once a princely state and it has its own culture, territorial boundary, distinct political system, economic character among others. With these characteristics Manipur can claim as self-determination.

On September 21, 1949 the the Governor General of India and the Maharajah of Manipur signed an agreement. After that restriction of entery by non-local had been removed. After the removal of restriction many non-locals has been entering the state in the name of business, he lamented.

“An appropriate law should be made to stop free entry by non-locals at the earliest, or else in the near future non-locals will dominate the indigenous people of the state,” Arjun asserted.

Chairman of COHR, Pholindro Konsam, president of Aimol Tribe Union, R. T. Akhel Aimol, co-ordinator of ANJUMAN, Alhaj M.V. Muheiyuddin and others attend the function as presidium members.