Vying for a ‘Hill State’
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 15, 2014 -

In reality, Manipur is a hilly state. Out of the meagre 22,349 sq km area of the state, ninety percent are hills and a paltry ten percent is the valley.

Considering the topography of the state, Manipur may be and should always be a ‘Hill State’.

Moreover, the population of the state is kaleidoscopic in nature, as over thirty different ethnic communities settle in Manipur with their indigenous characters being preserved in the midst of influences of alien religious sects and culture.

The unity in diversity and the indigenousness of all native communities residing in the state since times immemorial characterize the state of Manipur as a composite land.

However, the influx of non-locals into Manipur for purposes mainly of business and settlement has posed a threat to the collective and indigenous identity of the over-30-odd ethnic groups of Manipur.

In such a situation, the so called endangered native people of Manipur have, of late, come out to save their identity under the prevailing laws of the country.

In fact, the Inner Line Permit System, for the time being, is the only life-saving device of all the indigenous communities of Manipur.

A number of agitations and uprisings have been witnessed for a number of years demanding prevention of illegal influx of foreigners, as well as permanent settlement of non-locals.

However, nothing tangible has been chalked out to identify the non-locals and regulate their entry into Manipur.

Various spearheading organisations have time and again reiterated that their objective is not to ban entry of outsiders; it is just to regulate their entry and stay in the state.

It is to everyone’s knowledge that ‘without any effective regulation to control the influx of non-locals into Manipur, the identity of the numerous age-old communities of the state will be lost in the near future’.

Encouragingly, the Manipur Legislative Assembly, on two occasions, had already passed resolutions towards implementing Inner Line Permit System in Manipur, which the UPA government at the Centre turned down saying ‘Think of the Nation’.

The state government failed to overcome Centre’s ‘Think of the Nation’ tag with valid and rightful explanations on behalf of the people.

Now, after intense agitations by the public, certain developments have come out.

All Political Parties Committee formed to look into the matter has submitted a series of recommendations to the state government towards finding a formula for the control of influx.

Meanwhile, the news of recommending declaration of Manipur as a ‘Hill State’ has come out in the media, even though the Political Committee’s recommendations are being kept confidential.

If the media reports are true, it must be welcomed from all angles.

Topography and socio-economic conditions prevailing in the state are compelling factors for declaring Manipur as a ‘Hill State’ under the constitution of India.

Besides, enabling the indigenous communities to preserve their indigenous identity, the ‘Hill State’ acclaim will bring uniformity and cohesiveness among the diverse inhabitants.

Even though it comes out late, the proposal has its long term merit.