The JAC will take up policing duty, if the government fails to initiate necessary steps under ILP regulation section 20, the Joint Action Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) BK Moirangcha said on Monday.
Speaking to the media at its office located at Imphal West, he said that though the present government has implemented the ILP system in Manipur, the provisions which the JCLIPS has been demanding are yet to be included.
The state government should include a ‘proper provision’ of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system at the earliest in order to save the indigenous people of Manipur, he added.
The JCLIPS has been demanding the government to initiate work to identify who are the indigenous people; the permanent residents are yet to be identified and 1951 base year is also yet to be discussed, he added.
He said chief minister N Biren Singh has been frequently saying at various platforms that the present government has implemented the ILP system in the state; however, the present ILP system does not have any of the provisions which the JCILPS had been demanding.
As a part of the ILP drive conducted in Imphal, members of JCILPS; superintendent of police of both Imphal West and Imphal East along with two staffs of DCs of Imphal East and Imphal West district had conducted a meeting at the conference hall of SP, Imphal West, Babupara on December 6, he said.
At the meeting, the government officials said that the work for verification of non-locals in ILP drive will be taken over by government officials under the supervision of DCs, and that the JCILPS will also assist the drive.
The representatives of JCILPS had expressed that if necessary steps or penalties under ILP regulation section 20 during the ILP drive are taken, then JCLIPS will also assist during the ILP drive. However, police and administrative officers have declined from taking up such action, he alleged.
“JCILPS appreciates the government officials for taking over the work for conducting drives under ILP regulation section 18. However, the illegal non-locals should not be kept hidden,” he said. Related orders were issued but no such drives were taken up, he added.
“If the government officials fail to take up necessary steps for monitoring and verification in the next few days, then the JCILPS will resume conducting the drives by taking the role of police officials without waiting for the government officials,” he said.
He further said awareness cum sit-in-protest will be launched from Tuesday, and it will start from the community hall of Keishampat Leimajam Leikai, Imphal.
BK said the government has been ignoring their demands. He said the code of conduct for the upcoming election is expected to be implemented shortly, and if the government continues to neglect the demands, then JCILPS will start launching intensified agitations in order to save indigenous people and their rights.
He said instead of including the provision to save indigenous people, an empty and hollow ILP system has been implemented in the state. If proper provisions are not included in the ILP regulation, then the indigenous people will become extinct in the next few years, he added.
