Shillong, Dec 29: HITO has urged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to extend Inner Line Permit (ILP) under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 to the entire North East.
In a letter addressed to Sarma, HITO said that as Chairman, North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) he should make efforts to extend ILP in the entire region.
“On behalf of our organisation, we place on record our deep concern regarding certain remarks made by Mr. Muhammad Yunus, Interim Head/Chief Advisor of Bangladesh, during his visit to China approximately two months ago. His statement claiming that Bangladesh is the “only guardian of the ocean” for the seven land-locked North Eastern States of India, coupled with habitual and repeated references to India’s strategic Siliguri Corridor (commonly referred to as the “Chicken Neck”), is not only misleading but also objectionable and inimical to India’s sovereignty and national interest”, HITO said.
We also wish to record our agreement with your firm and timely reaction to these remarks, which resonated strongly with the people of the North East. It must be clearly stated that while Bangladesh seeks to draw attention to India’s Siliguri Corridor, Bangladesh itself has two narrow and far more vulnerable “chicken necks” of its own, making such commentary both provocative and strategically imprudent
In the backdrop of the prevailing unstable political situation in Bangladesh, and the frequent arrests and detection of illegal Bangladeshi nationals across several North Eastern States, these statements acquire added significance and raise serious security, demographic, and socio-political concerns for the region.
In this context, we respectfully urge you, in your capacity as the Chairman of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), to take the lead in demanding the extension of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 to the entire North East region. At present, ILP is applicable and mandatory in five States, namely: i) Arunachal Pradesh ii) Nagaland iii) Mizoram iv) Manipur, and v) Sikkim (in the form of a Protected Area Permit).
Given the present circumstances, it has become imperative to uniformly extend the ILP regime to Meghalaya and Assam as well, and strengthen its framework across the region, so as to protect the indigenous peoples, their land, identity, and cultural heritage. While we recognise that ILP is not a complete solution to infiltration and illegal immigration, it will certainly act as an important regulatory mechanism to partially control, monitor, and check the movement of illegal foreigners into the North East.
