Menace of Illegal Immigrants (Letter to Editor)

Dear Editor,

I am compelled to write to you so that my concerns and inputs can reach to a wider audience for deliberation and discussion. Though it has been a sensitive subject for so long and we hoped that there is a mechanism in place to check and take care of this issue. Sadly we have now come to realise that it is not so. In my recent tour of Nagaland, I have come to realise the urgency to raise this issue and urge the Govt to take necessary action to curb the menace of IBIs. This issue also needs a cautious approach so as to be able to differentiate between an Illegal Immigrant and a valid Indian Resident. However as the provision in Article 371(A) allows us, We have ILP as a tool at our disposal for the moment. The immediate concern is unregulated influx of Illegal immigrants and for this I propose to both the Administration and the various Organisations to take up this matter seriously. This is a strategy which I think will be practical if Govt. wills it.

The immediate process of reissuing FRESH ILP has to start. For this, First DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION in Dimapur (or any district authorised to issue ILP) should establish ILP cell with an Official Phone Number and ILP Facebook Page.

1. Administration should Issue a Code to all the Districts, Towns, Villages and wards in this sequence:

01 Kohima 02 Mokokchung etc (Similar to Vehicle Numbering)

2. Towns and Villages should be labelled 001- Kohima Town, 002 Kohima Village 003 Viswema etc
3. Colony or Khels should be labelled A-Midland B-Chandmari etc
4. The Codes will read as for eg. Kohima town Midland

01/001/A where 01=District, 001-Town A=Colony

5. Each Colony/Panchayat should appoint an ILP incharge for verification of Address and register a Valid Phone Number .
6. People seeking ILP will be categorised in the following manner:
7. i) Tourist
8. ii) Daily Wage Worker – Permit from Municipal or Labour Dept

iii) Skilled Workers – Certificate from Labour or Employment/ITI

1. iv) Business – Certificate from Municipal or Chamber of Commerce along with House Owner Undertaking
2. v) Employed Staffs – Letter of Guarantee from Employee
3. vi) Govt Guest – Govt Dept Letter

vii) Students and Academicians – Guarantee letter from Institution or Employee

viii) Religious and Institutional Workers – Guarantee letter from Institution or Employee

7. All valid institutions should register their office and provide a Valid phone number for verification of ILP
8. Those seeking ILP should download the form from a given online Site.
9. The ILP form should contain valid Address, Verification Number, Adhaar number with photograph.

10.This form will then have to be submitted to the ILP issuing office. At the same time, An SMS(containing the approved Form Number) has to be sent to the ILP Office from the Registered Number of the Guarantor. A Guarantor may be the ILP Person-in-charge of the Ward/Colony, Owner of Institutions or whosoever is authorised to register with the ILP Cell.

11. Every month, the list of ILP holders have to be uploaded on the Facebook page which can be downloaded for Verification by the various youth bodies to detect forgery.
12. The longer duration ILP should be provided with a QR code so that when scanned with mobile, it will direct the verification authority to the page where the ILP holder is registered.
13. DATE of ISSUE and EXPIRY should be boldly Stamped in RED on the ILP Permit.
14. For Skilled Workers and Traders, Longer Duration ILP may be provided but skilled workers will require grading from competent agency under Employment Department, Labour or Municipal Bodies. Both Skilled Workers and Traders may be issued Smart Cards in the long run.
15. The NSF, Youth Bodies or other Organisations may be permitted to check for ILP and impose fines or deport defaulters.
16. Apart from the Govt, no organisation should be authorised to issue ILPs.
17. Mobile Apps can be developed for checking and verifying QR codes from database.

18.To Check Genuine ILP,simply scan the QR code with a smart phone and it will lead you to the database where the registered details are available for verification

19. There has to be regulation in Issuing of Trade License and even authorising Non Local Driving License for Taxi and Auto Drivers
20. Rules and Regulations have to be in place to check density of Growth on Non Local Populace and protect the Tribal Land from turning into another Tripura. Regular Census have to be taken.

With these inputs, I hope there will be more discussions and deliberations and before it is too late, I hope we have mechanism in place to check this menace of Illegal Immigrant issue and protect this land for our Children.

Thanking you
Richard Belho