NSF welcomes Nagaland Cabinet's ILP move, urges swift concrete action

Dimapur, May 16: The Naga Students Federation (NSF) Inner Line Regulation Commission (ILRC) on Thursday welcomed the Nagaland Cabinet decision to set up an enforcement directorate for strict implementation of the inner line permit (ILP) regime in the State.

In a release, it said despite past precedents of forming committees and making public announcements without substantive follow-ups, the NSF ILRC hoped that the May 14 Cabinet meeting marked a turning point.

The ILRC appreciated the Government’s honesty in admitting its failure to enforce the ILP as effectively as the neighbouring States, particularly Mizoram. It reiterated that the memorandum submitted to the Chief Secretary on April 10 is “clear and urgent”.

“The need to address the contents of the memorandum is imminent and should not be delayed further,” the NSF stressed.

Further, the ILRC opined that the decision to visit neighbouring States under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, may result in unnecessary expenditure of time and resources.

It said the visit conducted by the Kesonyu Committee in 2017 is more than sufficient, adding that the recommendations provided by the committee were highly valuable and practical.

“Had the government of the day taken them seriously and implemented those points, much progress would have been made,” it said.

The ILRC pointed out that the Alemtemshi Committee (2007) and the Senti Yanger Committee (2015) also submitted elaborate and well-considered recommendations, “which were unfortunately shelved immediately upon submission”.

It said anyone reviewing those reports would recognise the seriousness and extensive effort invested by the respective committees.

The NSF asked whether the Government's seriousness was merely confined to words and paper.

The students’ body urged the Government to demonstrate strong political will and take concrete action toward enforcement of the provisions of the BEFR, 1873.