GUWAHATI: The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has appealed to the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance government to take immediate steps to extend Inner Line Permit (ILP) to Dimapur in the wake of possibility of a good number of people “left out” from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) entering the state through direct rail link from Assam.
The Opposition party in the state, in sync with the apprehension and concern voiced by several groups in Nagaland since the release of the NRC last Saturday, has been demanding ILP extension to the commercial hub since several years now.
Speaking to The Shillong Times from Kohima on Wednesday, NPF spokesperson, Achumbemo Kikon said that the “NRC discarded” people “might take advantage of the direct rail link to Dimapur from Guwahati to enter and settle down in the state”.
“Therefore the government of the day has come up with a mechanism or an apparatus to prevent possible large-scale immigration from the neighbouring state. So far, it has not done anything. As it is there has been a delay in ILP extension to Dimapur. We would also like to appeal to all to be vigilant and keep an eye on such people at the Dimapur railway station,” Kikon said.
As part of the state government’s precautionary measures in this context, the Dimapur district administration had convened a meeting on Tuesday participated by various stakeholders including village headmen under Dimapur Sadar.
The Opposition party reiterated that the proposal to come up with the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) was not “workable” and termed the move as an “attempt to divert attention from the demand for total ILP implementation in the state.”
“We don’t know why the PDA government suddenly came up with a proposal that was not practical. The government has failed to define who the indigenous inhabitants are. So by coming up with such a move it is trying to dilute the issues of ILP and indigenous inhabitants,” Kikon said.