KOHIMA: The Inner Line Permit system is going to be implemented in the newly formed districts of Dimapur, Chumoukedima, and Niuland by the Nagaland government.
State government spokesperson and minister Temjen Imna Along, following the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, made the announcement.
Earlier, ILP was not applicable to the Dimapur district, carved out as three districts namely Dimapur, Chumoukedima and Niuland in 2021.
The border with Assam stretches across the districts of Dimapur and Niuland. A permit to visit Nagaland, known as the Inner Line Permit (ILP), is needed for travel into Nagaland for all those not native to the state.
Now, the proposed Inner Line Permit system for Dimapur district classifies non-Naga residents into three categories for whom an ILP will not be required.
Category I is residents settled in Dimapur on or before December 1, 1963, when Nagaland was a full-fledged state. The government has plans to issue smart cards to these people which they can use if they want to get a Permanent Residence Certificate and Domicile Certificate.
Category II: Those who settled in Dimapur between December 1, 1963 and November 21, 1979. As per the said order, these residents will be issued a PRC, and a Domicile Certificate if so desired.
Category III: People who have settled in Dimapur on and after November 22, 1979.
It would work toward improving a digital system in its policy for the issuance of Inner Line Permits so that people get them directly without any middleman or visits to the office.
The minister also proposed that ILPs, for students, teachers, technical workers, and businesspersons who were investing in the state, should be given for 2 to 5 years at one time.
Nagaland bars entry to every non-Naga by BEFR of 1873, an Act to protect the identity and rights of indigenous people. ILP is required for every non-Naga, whether Indian or foreign, who wants to enter for a limited period in the state.
The stir by different tribal groups and civil organisations in Nagaland to extend the Inner Line Permit to three districts, in response to the political crisis in Bangladesh's neighboring areas, is being heard loud and clear.
The NSF had, on September 4, asked the government to enforce ILP in these districts within 14 days or else the delay on the part of the government would be construed as its inability or failure to protect the Naga people and neglect of duty.
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