Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, AUG 29 (NPN): Naga Students’ Federation (NSF)’s Inner Line Regulation Commission (ILRC) has sought the constitution of an autonomous Nagaland Inner Line Regulation Commission for effective and stringent implementation of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873.
In a representation submitted to the state chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Saturday, NSF president Mteisuding and ILRC chairman Senchumo NSN Lotha said the BEFR, read with protections available under Article 371A of the Constitution, remained a principal legal safeguard of the identity, land, customs and resources of Nagaland’s indigenous people.
The representation was submitted during the culmination programme of a two-day national seminar on the BEFR, organised by the NSF and coordinated by the ILRC-NSF at Town Hall, Dimapur. NSF said the primary challenge was not the law itself but its administration, with responsibility for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system dispersed among the home department, district administrations, police, municipal and village authorities, and trade licensing authorities.
NSF said the absence of a single body accountable for the system had also resulted in the lack of a consolidated register of ILPs issued, renewed, expired or cancelled, as well as an independent audit mechanism and published data to assess implementation.
It said the lack of centralised machinery had placed the burden of vigilance on student bodies, tribal hohos and community organisations, which lacked the authority and resources required for the task. At the same time, the federation cautioned that the situation could be exploited by unscrupulous individuals to harass non-locals in the guise of ILP vigilance.
NSF has, therefore, urged the state government to establish, through legislation, an autonomous Nagaland Inner Line Regulation Commission with full powers to formulate rules and regulations for stringent enforcement of the 1873 Regulation.
The federation also sought autonomy for the proposed commission to take decisions necessary for a robust, smooth and balanced implementation of the ILP system.
“Succinctly, and to guarantee holistic planning, all matters of the Regulation must rest with the Nagaland Inner Line Regulation Commission,” the representation stated.
NSF clarified that the present representation was confined to the single demand for constitution of the autonomous commission, which it described as the foundation for other measures concerning the Inner Line system.
The federation said deliberations at the seminar were still in progress and that a consolidated set of recommendations would be submitted to the government after the proceedings were compiled.
NSF, ILRC also assured the government of their cooperation in implementing the proposed measure and expressed appreciation for its continued commitment to protecting the rights of Nagaland’s indigenous people.