Manipur Bir Tikendrajit House in total disarray
NEW DELHI, May 19 : A rudderless ship, that is what Manipur Bir Tikendraji House at Chanakyapuri, South Delhi has been reduced to with the staff running around trying to keep the House in order. When The Sangai Express visited the State house, there .....
Incentives for Everesters
IMPHAL, May 19: The State Government will consider incentives that may be given to the five Manipuri mountaineers who have successfully scaled the world’s highest peak Mt Everest, informed the Chief Minister while talking with The Sangai Express. The.....
Governor, CM, Dy CM congratulate So far, six from State have scaled Everest
IMPHAL, May 19: Governor Gurbachan Jagat, Chief Minister O Ibobi and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam have congratulated the team of the 1st North East Mt Everest Expedition 2013 on summiting the highest peak of the world. Gurbachan Jagat said that the.....
Cleanliness drive at Ima Keithel
IMPHAL, May 18: With an objective to keep Ima Keithel neat and clean, Blooming Manipur, Kangla (Facebook Group), Manipur Times, Manipur Photography Club, European Manipuri Asso-ciation (EMA) and Manipur Cycle Club jointly organised a cleanliness drive at .....
KNF celebrates raising day
IMPHAL, May 19: The Kuki National Front (KNF) celebrated its 26th raising day at Camp Ebenezer, Sadar Hills yesterday with more than 200 cadres and leaders. The raising day celebration started with a mass fasting prayer. Addressing the gathering KNF p.....
AIDS Candle Light Memorial Day Observed Solemnly NGOs urge for amended AIDS policy
IMPHAL, May 19 : While observing the International AIDS Candle Light Memorial Day at JN Dance Academy today, 16 NGOs have urged the authorities to implement an amended Manipur State AIDS policy within three months. Generally, International AIDS Candle.....
Rongali Bihu
IMPHAL, May 19:The Asom Samaj Manipur hosted Rongali Bihu celebration at Devalaya Mandir, Kalibari (Thangal bazar) today with Education Minister M Okendro Singh gracing the celebration as the chief guest. While Okendro conveyed warm wishes to the Assam.....
To check frauds and money swindling Economic offence wing set up
IMPHAL, May 19: With the primary objective of checking the practice of swindling money from the public by non-banking financial companies (NBFC), an Economic Offence Wing has been set up in Manipur Police Department. The Economic Offence Wing was set .....
Guardians' body takes up street vendors' cause
IMPHAL, May 19: Noting that upper floors of the three market complexes at Khwairamband keithel are yet to be occupied, All Manipur Students' Guardians' Organisation has proposed that the Government of Manipur provide trading slots to women street vendors .....
DU admissions
IMPHAL, May 18 : Delhi University has announced the dates for undergraduate admissions for the academic session 2013-2014. It will commence on June 5 and continue till June 19, said a press release issued by Naga Students’ Union, Delhi. Unlike las.....
Ex-rebels are not untouchables : Dy CM
IMPHAL, May 19: Stating that the State Government has initiated several measures to bring insurgents on the path of peace, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam has called upon all the people not to view or treat former rebels who have laid down arms and retu.....
UG cadres surrender
IMPHAL, May 19: Security forces of Red Shield Division recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition buried under ground in 2007 by a cadre of UPPK at the foothills of Thangjing ridge, said a PIB (DW) release that identified the UG cadre as SS Capt Moiran.....
ZU concerned
IMPHAL, May 19:Zeliangrong Union (Assam, Manipur, Nagaland) has expressed concern over the death of an NSCN (IM) cadre in a reported gunfight with ZUF cadres yesterday. In a press release, ZU (AMN) said that it has always been working for maintaining p.....
Tousem body
IMPHAL, May 19:Development Committee Tousem Block 52-Tamei AC has drawn the attention of Chief Minister O Ibobi regarding bad road conditions of the Sub-Division. In a press release, the committee said that the Chief Minister had promised during his vi.....
Hurt in mishap
IMPHAL, May 19:Three youngsters, who were riding a brand new Yamaha FZ motorcycle, met with an accident in front of Mantripukhri headquarters of 69 Bn CRPF this evening. According to an informed source, the biker trio hit the road median and rolled sev.....
MLA inspects
IMPHAL, May 19:Ahead of the monsoon season, Yaiskul AC MLA E Chand today conducted a field inspection of the vulnerable sections of Imphal river bank within Yaiskul Assembly segment together with IFC officials. Observing that many excavations dug up fo.....
Hate the person who breaks traffic rules
If you think no one is watching then you are mistaken! But unfortunately, I am not a traffic cop who will jump in front and enforce you fine for breaking the traffic rule. It is the general Indian nature of carelessness and interpretation of pampered free.....
Traditional healing methods with special reference to Manipur
By Dr K Paochunbou Every ethnic community in Manipur has well-established knowledge, skills, beliefs and practices relating to promotion of positive health and avoidance of sickness even before the hospital oriented system of medicine. In an old civiliza.....
Mis-selling Insurance
By Dipankar Jakharia Not a single week goes by when I am not asked by my readers about an ULIP policy they have invested and now feels as if they have been ripped-off by it. I have written many a times before and ready to write many a time in future abou.....
World Migratory Bird Day 2013
Large scale climatic changes, as have been experienced in the past, are expected to have an effect on the timing of migration. Studies have shown a variety of effects including timing changes in migration, breeding as well as population variations due to .....
General Articles
By : Sangai Articles
Some thoughts on ILP issue in Manipur
By Deben Sharma
The demand for Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Manipur seems to be raising dust. Questions skeptics would like to raise at the back of mind may often be uncomfortable but could also help in long run. Some such silly questions may include;
1. What is ILP?
2. Whose is the ‘inner’ and what is ‘inner’ in today’s context or our world?
3. Is it something to be demanded or to be an administrative protective measures (in different forms) to safeguard local interests of indigenous people?
4. Why is ILP becoming people’s political issue, apparently?
5. What is that we want out of ILP? What are issues we want to address by invoking ILP?
6. Is that something our elected government still can do given the legislative power to our State without envoking ILP (which Central Govt has problem)
7. What roles and responsibilities do aware citizens of the State (civil society organization still do without envoking ILP)?
8. What are indirect but very effective ways of addressing the migrant population issues? What strategies are possible?
What is ILP all about?
Simple understanding of it makes 2 things clear as everyone knows. ILP is an administrative measure of a Central authority to restrict outsiders into underdeveloped tribal regions and territories to protect and preserve their culture and resources, and to control unregulated exploitation of their natural resources. This is from the colonial external others who had much advance technologies to protect their own interests and extract resources from under developed tribal and indigenous areas. There is also sense of sympathy towards the underdeveloped others in the ILP regulation. The ‘inner’ in this sense is the indigenous tribal people and for whom ILP came into being without any demand by the people. The ‘inner’ is defined only within a powerful State.
The demand for ILP, as it has not been repealed, is legal but does it make sense especially when the Union Home considers it against their interests. The Union Govt not complying with the state legislative decisions may establish these facts;
* Central Govt does not consider Manipur state as weak and underdeveloped ’inner’ areas that need special protection.
* The issues, therefore, does not warrant ILP
The laws and ILP
Logically, the essence of ILP and demands for it ends there. But alternately the question that springs out next is what is that the Central Govt consider strong about Manipur/valley people compared to those communities still protected by ILP? But whether or not Manipur deserves ILP the Central Govt must also recognize the fact that the civil society organizations do have some issues with the population situation in the State and are seeking a constitutional remedy in a state which is seriously affected by insugency.
Do the Central Govt see only Red in all the local issues of the ‘others’?
Does the Central Govt consider ILP as also another covert demand of the insurgent groups or unworthy of their attention – in continuation of their dominant cultural chauvinist attitudes? In both the cases the Central Govt owes qualified response to the issues rather than outright rejection. They must consider how may the fear and apprehensions of indigenous community of Manipur be addressed and justice done in the spirits of the Rights of indigenous people to which India is a signatory? The issue will not disappear by simply rejecting it. Rejection may only fuel political discontentment and the chronic insurgency. Is this what the Central Govt wants to happen in Manipur? Or does it want to solve it without military use in the internal situation?
What is the issue about? Population or Economy
In this respect, one may like consider ‘migration as economic event’ than political or cultural. However, when the economy that attracts outsiders is not address timely may take political and cutlural forms in a democratic society. This is what is already happening in Manipur and what has already happened in Bhutan, and elsewhere.
That migrants Nepali populations; less of them legal and more of them illegal, overdominated the indigenous population of Bhutan came into light only in 1990 when the Royal Govt of Bhutan conducted its first systematic population census. By which time, Nepali unrests had begun demanding greater cutlural and political rights in that country. This triggered an unprecedented violent conflict between Nepali people and the state in that year itself. The Royal army of Bhutan armed itself overnight and attacked over the civilian movements causing huge displacements of the Nepali population. Nearly, 2 lakh population displaced people took refuge in the Nepal border and they are still languishing in those camps without any help from international communities. Bhutan was, albeit violently, able to do it because it is a recognized state and member of UN.
India may declare all Indians are indigenous but some may be more indigenous!
Within India and within the region, Kokrajhar already bursted out in violence but the problem is how do Bodo seek a solution within the Constitution they have accepted to address their political rights. What constitutional answers do the Union Govt of India has? Heads are reeling but the impact of violence on both sides; badly and equally? Do the state wants to things to happen everywhere in India and do the indigenous people also wait for such violent events and remain idle without addressing the local economy that pulls the migrants inside the indigenous areas. —to be contd
