Imphal, January 28: Apprehensive of huge influx of non-Manipuris as and when railway line to the State is commissioned, Federation of Regional Indigenous Societies (FREINDS) has called upon the authority concerned to enforce Inner Line Permit system in Manipur ahead of the rail link with other states of India.

A statement issued by FREINDS observed that due to the huge influx of migrants from other states of India, their population has outnumbered those of indigenous tribes.

Moreover these outsiders are steadily monopolising all economic activities of the State rendering the local populace dependent on the non locals for their livelihood.

Citing numerous unnatural deaths in Manipur because of drugs/AIDS, torture and killings by security forces and in the name of insurgency on the one hand and flooding of non locals in both the hill and valley districts on the other, the statement expressed apprehension that the indigenous population would be marginalised and would become a minority in their own land in not so distant future if an effective mechanism to check the influx is not devised immediately.

Saying that rail link at the cost of total extinction of Manipuri nation is too a heavy price, it resolved that ILP system must be enforced in Manipur ahead of commissioning rail link with other states and with Mandalay as envisaged by the Look East policy of India.

Comment