GUWAHATI: The Nagaland Tribes Council has proposed to the Neiphiu Rio-led government to put in place a coordinated and comprehensive mechanism to check influx of migrants in the wake of neighbouring Assam publishing the complete draft National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Thursday, Theja Therieh, the general secretary of the council, said a separate cell should be created to monitor influx given the measures taken by Assam and considering the possibility of “easy entry and exit” of people through the porous inter-state border.
“We have therefore proposed to the government about the creation of a special cell as at the moment the police administration is still not adept and trained with the standard operating procedures (SOP) for inner line permit (ILP) implementation covering all areas of the state. Besides, a committee formed by the government earlier is yet to submit its report on ILP as there was some indecision in regard effective implementation in Dimapur, which is connected through rail network,” Therieh said.
The council, representing 14 Naga tribes and two non-Naga tribes (Kachari and Kuki), was formed in 2013.
“We had earlier asked the state government to bring the entire administrative jurisdiction under the ambit of ILP because Nagaland is a tribal state and there should not be a pocket de-reserved as far as ILP implementation is concerned,” Therieh said.
NTC had on Wednesday met 23 civil organisations and formed a joint committee to check illegal immigrants.
“The committee will function from next week and its role will be to support the government machinery in checking influx. It will monitor the functioning of the police administration, village councils and urban colonies,” he said.
Asked whether the council would press for a NRC-like exercise in Nagaland, Therieh said, “We have to be with the general movement against illegal infiltration. The burden put on Assam is a burden put on Nagaland because of the porous border. At the moment, we are planning to coordinate with our neighbouring states to devise a comprehensive strategy to check influx in the region. The chief ministers also need to talk in this regard.”
“For Nagaland, we have 1963 as the cut-off year. Only indigenous inhabitants who have registered their names in the first census after statehood would be given full privilege. Besides, since land and resources in the state belong to private individuals and not the government, even Nagas from outside Nagaland cannot purchase land in the state,” he added.
The Naga Students’ Federation too had on Wednesday demanded that the ILP implementation should cover all areas of the state.
“We are holding a public rally soon and would thereafter submit a memorandum to the government in this regard,” NSF president, Kesosul Christopher Ltu told this correspondent.
It may be mentioned that since yesterday, NSF, taking a cue from states like Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, has taken up a drive against illegal migrants.
“We launched the first phase of the campaign on Wednesday. Documents of people entering and exiting Nagaland were verified while vehicles were checked. But what concerns us is that there are no official records of people coming in and going out of the state in the entry and exit points,” Ltu said.