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Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Nagaland: Authorities notify mandatory Inner Line Permit to visit Dimapur
The Dimapur administration in Nagaland, in an order dated May 27, has notified the official enforcement of Inner Line Permit (ILP) within the district with immediate effect. The ILP system, under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, has been in force in the Naga Hills (present day Nagaland) since 1873. It requires anyone, both Indian and foreigner, who is not an indigenous inhabitant of Nagaland, to obtain a permit as prescribed by the state government to enter Nagaland for a limited period. Dimapur, a general constituency seat sharing borders with Assam and having mixed population from different states, was exempt from the purview of ILP till 2019. Besides Nagaland, the ILP regime is in force in Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India. In the new notification, the deputy commissioner of Dimapur also announced a revised fee structure wherein a domestic tourist can obtain a 30-day permit for ₹200 and foreign tourists for ₹300. The fees and validity of other categories such as traders, labourers, students, teachers, priests and business partners range from ₹300 for fresh permit and ₹150- ₹3,000 for annual or quarterly renewal, depending on the category. The ILP can be applied online. The order listed key documents required for application of ILP, such as Aadhaar, educational certificates, business registration proofs, and in some cases, a local guarantor. Students and foreign tourists are exempted from providing local guarantors. It was also notified that ILP applications from residents of Assam's border districts Karimganj, Hailakandi, Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong would require National Register of Citizens (NRC) documents. Exemptions have been made based on the settlers' dates of residence in Dimapur. Those who have settled in Dimapur before two cut-off dates – December 1, 1963, and November 21, 1979 – are exempted from ILP requirement and can obtain a permanent residential certificate (PRC) and domicile certificates after furnishing documents such as entry in electoral roll, land/property patta, etc. Naga civil society organisations and student bodies have been seeking the ILP regime in Dimapur for long, fearing the influx of illegal immigrants that could pose a threat to the indigenous communities. The state government constituted different panels to study the viability of bringing the cosmopolitan district under the ambit of BEFR, the last being in 2018, tasked to bring out a robust policy to safeguard the rights and security of the indigenous people. Following the report of the said panel, the state government in December 2019 notified to bring Dimapur district under ILP with the cut-off date basing on the government's November 1979 notification, where the then Dimapur sub-division under Kohima district was declared as tribal belt. However, Dimapur being a transit route for inter-state travellers to and from neighbouring Manipur and Assam, challenges in strict implementation of the ILP regime persisted. In December 2021, Dimapur was bifurcated into three separate districts — existing Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Niuland. In June 2023, the operation of ILP in (erstwhile) Dimapur district was suspended after a cabinet sub-committee was constituted to further study the modalities of ILP in the Dimapur valley. Since then, student bodies and civil society organisations have continued to pressurise the state government for ILP in the district. Meanwhile, following the Centre's decision to reimpose the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime in the northeastern states, including Nagaland, in December last year, the Dimapur commissioner of police announced the mandatory registration of foreign nationals visiting Nagaland. PAP is a system that requires foreign nationals to obtain a permit to visit certain areas in India, mainly in the northeast states. PAP was lifted from Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland in 2011 to promote tourism but was reimposed in December 2024 by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) citing security concerns. The Dimapur police commissioner, who is also the foreigners' registration officer (FRO), informed that all foreign nationals intending to visit Nagaland would now be required to obtain PAP from the state/district FRO prior to their arrival. In an advisory, the FRO said besides the required registration, nationals of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan should obtain prior approval from the MHA before visiting Nagaland. Queries can be addressed to fro-nadpr@ and 7085065056, the administration said.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NSF hails Nagaland cabinet decision on ILP implementation
Dimapur: The Naga Students Federation (NSF) Inner Line Regulation Commission (ILRC) on Thursday expressed its approval of the Nagaland cabinet's decision to establish an enforcement directorate aimed at stricter implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. In a release, the ILRC acknowledged past instances where committees were formed and public announcements had been made without significant follow-through. The ILRC appreciated the govt's candid admission of its past ineffectiveness in enforcing the ILP, compared to neighbouring states like Mizoram. It reiterated the urgency and clarity of the memorandum submitted to the chief secretary on April 10. "The need to address the contents of the memorandum is imminent and should not be delayed further," the NSF said. However, the ILRC expressed its opinion that the govt's decision to visit neighbouring states, operating under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, could lead to an unnecessary expenditure of time and resources. It argued that the visit conducted by the Kesonyu Committee in 2017 provided more than sufficient information, highlighting the valuable and practical recommendations made by that committee. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo "Had the govt of the day taken them seriously and implemented those points, much progress would have been made," the ILRC said. The ILRC also pointed out that the Alemtemshi Committee (2007) and the Senti Yanger Committee (2015) had previously submitted elaborate and well-considered recommendations that were "unfortunately shelved immediately upon submission."
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mizoram-Assam border talks on Friday
Aizawl, A seven-member Mizoram delegation led by state Home secretary Vanlalmawia left for Guwahati on Thursday to engage in official-level discussion with Assam to resolve the long-standing boundary dispute between the two Northeastern states, an official said. The official-level talks will be held at 11 am on Friday, the official said. Friday's talk is expected to focus on issues in which both states are yet to reach a consensus, technicalities and the nitty-gritty of the border issue, which are not possible to be discussed at length at the ministerial-level talks, he said. The official-level discussion may also focus on preparing and finalising the groundwork and modalities for the next round of ministerial-level talks, he said. The official said that the next round of ministerial-level talks might be held depending on the outcome of Friday's official-level discussion. He, however, said that further official-level discussion may be required to be convened before the next ministerial-level talks. Earlier on April 16, Mizoram Home minister K Sapdanga chaired a meeting of state boundary committee to review the state's stance and necessary documents to be presented at the official-level talks. He told the meeting that the Mizoram government's top priority is to ensure that the state's border is secure so that people can live in peace. Sapdanga had also said that massive efforts are being made to ensure that Mizoram does not lose its territory. Three Mizoram districts - Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit - share a 164.6 km long border with Assam's Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi districts. The decades-old border dispute mainly stemmed from two conflicting colonial-era demarcations - one from 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation and another from 1933. Mizoram claims that 509 square miles of areas of the Inner Line Reserved Forest delineated in 1875 under the BEFR as its legitimate area or boundary. Assam asserts the border defined by a 1933 map prepared by the Survey of India in 1933 as its constitutional boundary. As a result, both states lay claim to overlapping areas, with no ground demarcation conducted till date. The dispute escalated into violence on several occasions and a clash between police forces of both states near Mizoram's Vairengte village on July 26, 2021 resulted in seven fatalities and numerous injuries. Between August 2021 and August 2024, the two Northeastern states have held four rounds of ministerial-level talks, besides negotiations and virtual meetings at the official level to resolve the decades-old border dispute. Chief ministers of both states had also met and discussed border issue on at least three occasions during the same period.
