Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 02:
The Federation of Regional Indigenous Societies (FREINDS) has urged the Imphal Municipal Council to stop issuing licence to non-locals for rickshaw pulling and opening stalls without verifying their credentials and criminal records.
Speaking to reporters today, FREINDS president Sapamcha Jadumani observed that while women vendors of the State have been fighting for space, the IMC officials with a motive to earn some money for their personnel benefit have been issuing licences to non-local rickshaw pullers and vendors including foot paths without any restraint.
This not only contribute immensely in dirtying Imphal town but also helps in enlarging population of non-local immigrants.
Jadumani further decried the issuance of domicile certificates to non-locals by Deputy Commissioners without checking their credentials and legitimacy.
The Labour Department, too should follow stringent rules in issuing licences to labourers.
No labourers without valid licence should be allowed in Imphal town.
In case of non-locals working without valid licence, they should be duly deported, Jadumani asserted.
If the existing trend is allowed to continue, the population of outsiders will certainly outnumber the indigenous population after 30 years, he cautioned.
Flaying the alleged inaction of the State machineries towards checking large scale influx of outsiders, Jadumani urged upon the State Government to enforce Inner Line Permit System.
Quoting the statistics of Tripura, he noted that out of the State's total population of 31.99 lakhs, outsiders constitute 25 lakhs.
In Assam, non-locals constitute 86 lakhs out of its total population of 2.66 crores.
The people of Manipur should learn from the unfortunate cases of Tripura and Assam and act accordingly to avoid Manipur meeting a similar fate.
In this connection, it's high time that ILPS is enforced in the State and the State machineries wake up from its slumber and stop giving undue benefits to non-locals, Jadumani remarked.