IMPHAL, June 26: All political parties, in its meeting on June 25 under the chairmanship of the Manipur Chief Minister, Okram Ibobi Singh, resolved to introduce fresh Inner Line Permit (ILP) bills in the upcoming July session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
The 4-hour meeting held to discuss the present scenario arising out of the public movement demanding implementation of ILP system or a mechanism to protect the interests of the indigenous people of Manipur, concluded at around 7 p.m. last evening at the CM’s Secretariat. Representatives of almost all political parties in the state except the Naga Peoples’ Front attended the meet.
“As the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 was withheld by the President of India, it was felt that a new bill needed to be prepared to protect and preserve the indigenous people of Manipur immediately,” says Chief Minister in a statement after the meeting. “The main objective of the new bill should be acceptable by all sections of the society in the state of Manipur,” he added.After a detailed discussion, the meeting resolved to entrust the legal and constitutional experts for drafting a new bill which would enable the state government to enact a new legislation to protect and preserve the indigenous people of Manipur looking into all aspects of hills and valley of Manipur and that due consultation should be made with all stakeholders of hills and the valley people of Manipur before finalization of the new draft bill. It also resolved to introduce the new bill in the next session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
As necessary work for preparation of the new bill for placing before the Manipur Legislative Assembly has been initiated, representatives of all political parties present in the meeting appealed to all the citizens of Manipur to maintain peace and to extend full cooperation to the efforts of the all political parties and the state government towards the accomplishment of the exercise to have a new legislation, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Thangmeiband Kendra Development Organisation members and BJP MLA Khumukcham Joykishan on Sunday staged a sit in protest at Khoyathong junction in Imphal against the announcement of former convener of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System Kh Ratan as a wanted man on charge of being a member of the banned United National Liberation Front.
In another development, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Against Anti-Tribal Bills organised a mass mourning cum prayer programme to mark the 300th day of the tribal movement at Churachandpur district headquarters on Sunday.
