By Shankar Kumar Turha
SHILLONG:
The debate surrounding the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya is an old one, going on as an issue that requires discussion, deliberation and altercation before the Centre okays its implementation.
A large number of non-tribal population, who are settled in Shillong, fear the essence of the law once it is passed- what will it entail?, How will the government make provisions for areas under the ADCs, areas falling under the European Ward, and the cantonment?
Here we offer an analysis of the ILP, its pros and cons, how will it affect the tribals and the non-tribals in the state? And will it be able to solve the issue of illegal immigration or infiltration.
First and foremost, lets understand what impact will the ILP have on the non tribals settled in Meghalaya. If we look at it carefully, the non-tribals will not be affected much by the provisions of the ILP, and the law will be more detrimental to the tribals, who in rural areas mostly depend on tourists, and the cash inflow is directly dependent on the tourist inflow.
Non tribals residing in Shillong involved in service sector or business have least to bother about even if ILP is implemented, given the fact that well established business in Police Bazaar area draw customers from within the city itself, and ILP being a travel document will not affect the day-to-day business.
On the other hand, tribals will be impacted more by the provisions of the law because most small businesses in the state are run by tribals, including stalls at all tourist spots in the state, where the major source of revenue is generated from the tourists.
Given this fact, and if ILP implemented in the state, tourists or travellers will reconsider travelling to Meghalaya and instead choose to go to other locations in the Northeast such as Sikkim or Darjeeling, and will become a major cause of worry for the tourism sector which the government is trying to promote through various schemes and measures.
Who will need ILP in Meghalaya
Genuine citizens/residents by virtue of birth possessing voter ID cards will not need ILP in Meghalaya. Only visitors/travellers coming to the state for a purpose will need ILP just like they do in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland or any other state coming under the ambit of Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873.
Will non-tribals possessing land in Shillong be affected and will the land rate fall? Will they be able to do business?
Technically ILP will not affect the land value in the state, as it is only a document required to enter the state, however, let me offer some clarification on this: Lands falling under European Ward (EW) areas will continue having the same value, but for lands falling under the Autonomous District Council areas—they may see stricter regulations. Non tribals will be able to buy land/flats in European Wards as usual, and also set up business in EW and Cantonment areas.
Will ILP be applicable in Cantonment and European Ward Areas?
Though the provisions of the ILP will cover the entire state covered under the sixth schedule, expect for a part of Shillong, which does not fall under the ADC area, known as the Cantonment Area (Under Defence Ministry) and European Ward (Covering areas such as Police Bazar, Oakland, Keating Road, Jail Road, parts of Polo, parts of Lachumiere, and other areas).
Why do people migrate and why must people migrate to Shillong despite no provisions for outsiders?
People essentially migrate for three things, their citizenship rights, to own property, and seeking employment—and all three spheres are restricted to outsiders, so what difference will the ILP make and how is it going to help the state.
To give a data on the workforce in Meghalaya, the non-tribals will amount to 1/10 of the total workforce which means that Meghalaya is not a lucrative destination for earning livelihood. Secondly, having access to land and property is also very difficult in Meghalaya which means outsiders cannot buy property. Thirdly voting rights and political representation-For a state which has a population of about 40 lakhs, there is a sizeable population of non-tribal voters without non tribal leaders representing them.
No Political Representation
Given all these factors that the state has no employment opportunities, there are no land ownership rights, and there is no political representation in the name of citizenship, why should a state like Meghalaya bother about influx. Why would someone want to come to Meghalaya given all these factors?
It has been close to a decade, that the state has not seen non tribal political representation, neither in Municipal election nor in the assembly election despite the state having five general constituencies from where non tribals can stand in elections. The constituencies namely Pynthorumkhrah, West Shillong, South Shillong, Phulbari, Rajabala are open for non-tribals to contest, however, for the past ten years, no non-tribals have contested from these seats.
A comparative analysis: If ILP helped other states reduce illegal immigration
Arunachal Pradesh is one of the first states in the country to implement ILP in order to check illegal immigration and protect the land of the indigenous people, however, the North East Students Organisation (NESO) has stated that despite Arunachal being protected under Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, 1873, and Chin Hills Regulation, 1896, the number of illegal immigrants are increasing tremendously.
In 2018, Arunachal Pradesh has expelled 297 people without valid papers in a drive against ‘illegal’ migrants despite the state having the ILP in place.
Similarly, despite Nagaland having ILP system, the issue of illegal immigration has been there since long time with illegal immigration of Bangladeshis into Nagaland emerging as a major problem in the state, threatening to assume proportions that have already disrupted populations and peace in the Northeastern neighbourhood, a report from Outlook had said.
The report said that these apprehensions have been further reinforced by the fact that, as the Census 2001 records, the population of Muslims in the state has more than trebled in the past decade, from 20,642 in 1991 to more than 75,000 in 2001. Illegal migrants are widely believed to account for an overwhelming proportion of this recorded increase.
Similarly, the issue of influx of illegal immigrants in Manipur has reached an alarming state despite ILP in place, chief minister N Biren Singh had said in 2022.
All this point to the fact that ILP is not effective to curb illegal immigration, and broader measures such as strengthening the porous borders are some of the steps that can be taken to prevent influx.
Is ILP necessary to curb illegal immigration?
No, ILP as a measure cannot curb illegal immigration, as there are ways and means where infiltrators will be able to cross over the border. The actual solution to curb the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh, is that the border areas are strengthened with the help of the central government. The unmanned border areas have to be secured and mandated by specialised security forces.