The Manipur government has decided not to introduce the controversial draft bill, The Manipur Regulation of Non-locals Bill, 2016 during the Assembly session beginning from Friday.
It was based on a resolution of the Congress Legislature Party meeting held on Thursday night. Yaiskul Meitei, the additional chief secretary said, “There is no time to study the objections and suggestions to the draft bill. The government has therefore decided not to introduce the bill during the session”. There will be just two sittings in the session. The government had invited objections and suggestions by uploading the draft bill in the official website. There were altogether 91 opinions.
However the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) submitted a draft bill on the issue after the deadline. The official said that since it will take sometime to digest and incorporate the opinions the bill cannot be introduced now. There may not be time before the February 2017 Assembly polls.
A public convention had rejected the draft bill of the government saying that there is no word for the protection of the indigenous peoples. Instead the proposed bill is to facilitate the entry and settlement of the outsiders. While the government bill proposed 1972 as the base year for determining the non-locals the JCILPS says that it should be 1951. The JCILPS draft bill says that any community not included in the 36 communities of the state shall be treated as non-Manipuris.
Meanwhile United Naga Council says that it will oppose all bills which are against the tribals. Till now, the tribal bodies have not pointed out the clauses which are against the tribals. In a procession the tribals displayed a bill board with words, “Total separation from Manipur, the only solution”. Meanwhile the anti and pro- Inner Liner Permit system agitations continue in the valley and hill districts.
