Nagaland govt expands ILP to cover Dimapur district
A road signs at the entrance of Dimapur city showing distance to others places. (Morung File Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 10
The Nagaland state government has expanded the coverage of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime to include Dimapur district within its purview. Abhijit Sinha, Principal Secretary to the Government of Nagaland confirming the development told The Morung Express today that it came into effect on December 9 via a state Cabinet decision passed on the same day.
According to Sinha, the decision was actually taken at the start of the year but was kept in abeyance. “This decision to extend the ILP was taken (by the Cabinet) in February but notifying it was kept pending because of the elections and other reasons,” he said. He added that persons not indigenous to Nagaland, who have entered Dimapur on December 9 or after, will be required to obtain ILP.
The notification issued by the Chief Secretary read, “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.” It was pursuant to the Cabinet decisions of February 15, 2019 and December 9, 2019, it said.
Any “non indigenous person” entering Dimapur will have to obtain ILP as per the prevailing guidelines and under the same conditions as provided in the May 3, 2018 Notification, it said.
For Non-Indigenous persons, already settled or has entered Dimapur district before the date of issue of the December 9 notification and “on or after 21/11/1979, the day the aforesaid area of Dimapur was constituted as Tribal Belt vide Land Revenue Department Notification No. LR/2-118/76 dated 21/11/1979, shall be required to obtain an Inner Line Permit… within ninety (90) days from the date of issue of this Notification.”
It added that those who have settled or has entered prior to November 21, 1979 and has been staying continuously, will be exempt “along with his/her direct descendants.” However, it said that they will have to produce evidence “in the form of documents like entry of name in the Electoral Roll, land/property documents, House Tax, entry of name in the electoral roll of Town Committee, school records, Trade Licenses etc. to the Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur, who on the basis of the submitted documents and after holding such inquiry which he thinks fit and necessary, certify that the person in question has been staying continuously from before 21/11/1979. The concerned person on the strength of the certificate issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur will not be required to obtain Inner Line Permit.”
The Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur was further directed to set up “suitable administrative structures and mechanisms” for ensuring the completion of the process in a timebound manner.
It also stated that persons transiting the district and “having a valid ticket will not be required to obtain Inner Line Permit.”
The Notification did not mention how it seeks to distinguish private vehicles or people in transit. On this, Sinha said that so long as people, in private modes of transport “can proof they are transiting” will not be required to obtain ILP.
It was also not clear on how to treat inter-state commercial transporters, especially those who only make brief stopovers to drop cargo in Dimapur and leave.
Queried on this, Sinha said that a transporter not indigenous to Nagaland will also have to obtain ILP if he is coming and staying over for some days.
