The Sangai Express: Manipur: Monday,
August 08, 2016.
Right on so
many points. That is the observation of former Minister and veteran political
leader C Doungel. The former Minister was bang on target in stating that
putting the base year of defining indigenous people of the land at 1951 was not
at all practical as there is no National Register of Citizens (NRC) of 1951. An
RTI application submitted by a social worker seeking the NRC of 1951 should
testify the observation of the former Minister. Moreover, as he pointed out,
the status of Meiteis who came to Manipur from Bangladesh after 1949 too should
be taken into consideration while drafting any Bill to identify the non-local
people. Wonder whether these thoughts have crossed the mind of the Government
or not. It is also important to ask whether the veteran political leader had
posed this question to the Government or not. Whatever the case it is, an
important observation has been made and for the sake of the people and the
land, the Government should take due note of it. On the Manipur Land Revenue
and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill, 2015, C Doungel was again on target when
he observed that a clause, ‘this Bill applies only to the areas covered by the
Principal Act’ should have been inserted. Such a clause would have meant that
the new Bill will be applicable only in the area where the MLR and LR Act is in
force, which is the valley area.
In the face
of the strong demand raised by the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System
(JCILPS) that a new Bill be introduced in the forthcoming Assembly session, the
State Government seems to be seriously working towards drafting a new Bill. As
things stand today, the people have been given to understand that the new Bill
will be introduced in the coming Assembly session and is being prepared in
consultation with Constitutional experts. This is fine for what is stake here
is the future of the land and the people. Taking into account the reality, the
sharp divide that the three Bills gave rise to when they were passed in the
Assembly on August 31 last year, the task before the Government is clear. What
is needed is not only a Bill which can keep a check on the large scale influx
of non-local people into the State but also a Bill which will not sow the seeds
of divide. It is this which the Government should keep in mind while drafting
the new Bill. On the other hand, the people too should realise that what is
being demanded is a legal mechanism which will protect the interest of the
indigenous people. This plain fact should not be lost on anyone.
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