,is indicative of the fact that people of the state are not in favour of having the ILP in place in Meghalaya.

What is the Inner Line Permit? It is a permit which allows you entry into a particular area in which the ILP is implemented. Even if you are an Indian citizen and wish to travel to these places,you’ll need an ILP. This provision was made by British under an Act known as the Bengal Frontier Provision Act,1873. An outsider cannot take away any rubber,wax,ivory or other forest product or any book,diary,manuscript,map,picture,photograph,film,curio or article of religious or scientific interest outside these Inner Line Permit areas. This ILP provision was made to give special protection to the indigenous people.

This has resulted in a stalemate between the agitating NGOs and the Government and has forced the former to resort to a wide range of agitations such as night road blockades,public meetings,office picketing and even the call for a total bandh on the 20th of September.This bandh had initially been called for the duration of 24 hours starting from 5 am of the 20th of September till 5 am of the 21st of September.However,owing to a number of issues raised by the general masses,the duration of this bandh was trimmed down to just 12 hours.Several business establishments were also set ablaze in the main business sectors of the city namely Police Bazar and Bara Bazar which has been seen as a direct result of this stalemate.

Meghalaya is faced with a comical situation where outsiders are braving the odds and taking their chances to enter the state to work while the local youth,born and bred here are crying hoarse that there are no jobs available for them.

It is without contention that Meghalaya as a state is faced with the problem of illegal migration or influx especially from Bangladesh if one judges by the number of incidents when people without the proper documents have been apprehended by NGOs while trying to enter the state from time to time.Instead of joining the bandwagon and again asking the question as to whether or not the ILP should be implemented in Meghalaya,this article will try to delve into the root cause of the problem and work its way up from there.

As stated earlier,Meghalaya as a state is faced with the problem of illegal migration or influx especially from Bangladesh.Here one is prompted to ask–why is it that such a large number of people with dubious origins trying to enter the state.The simple answer to this is to earn their livelihood.One needs only to visit the coal belts of the Jaintia Hills region of the state to see the number of non–tribal labourers trying to eke out a living there.Visiting places such as Borsara and Khliehriat,one will see that the local tribal community is rapidly becoming the minority in those areas.It is to be noted that on one occasion,when an NGO had apprehended a group of illegal migrants trying to enter the state,they were asked as to why they were trying to enter Meghalaya and who had told them to come here.The candid answers given to these questions were–to come and work and that they were told how easy it was to enter the state illegally and make money here by others who had done so earlier.The point to be taken note of here is that there are numerous people in the state who are willing to employ these people as the labour charges they ask for are much lower than those demanded by the local labourers.It has also been noted that most employers prefer non–tribal employees because they believe that these employees are more hard working than their tribal counterparts.

What are the implications of the Inner Line Permit? ILP certificate can be used only for travel and not for permanent residency in the area. Outsiders cannot buy property in the state. Inter-caste marriages are not possible as residence of outsiders is not permitted. There is no competition among the backward tribes and inflowing foreigners. Such provisions however are not valid for Central Government employees,security personnel,etc.

If it can now be surmised that these illegal migrants are coming to Meghalaya to work,it can therefore be also surmised that,owing to the number of such migrants,there are plenty of jobs available in Meghalaya.That brings to the fore an interesting paradox,considering the fact that the main angst of any unemployed tribal youth of the state is the unavailability of jobs.Herein lies the crux of the problem.Meghalaya is faced with a comical situation where outsiders are braving the odds and taking their chances to enter the state to work while the local youth,born and bred here are crying hoarse that there are no jobs available for them.This leads me to argue that jobs are available in the state,just not the ‘right’ kinds of jobs.If these jobs are taken up by the tribal youth,the prospect of easily available jobs for the migrant community would be filled up by these tribal youth who would be meaningfully employed besides contributing to the betterment of the society.This would also largely address the problem of influx as the migrant community would hardly come into Meghalaya as the jobs they are looking for are not available.That being said,there is however,a dire need for a change in the mindset of the local youth and also the society in general.It has to be understood and accepted that not everybody can become officers,engineers and doctors and that the jobs which are available in the lower strata of the society,though undoubtedly less prestigeous and glamorous are equally important simply for the service being provided.The youth have to be ready and willing to take on these jobs,period.

The Case of Meghalaya The government created a committee under its then Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong to study the case and recommend steps. Another solution was to provide for a 3-tier ID card for immigrants. There are already other strict provisions in Meghalaya to prohibit ‘outsiders’ from buying property. Also,contractors employing more than 5 immigrant workers need to register with the state.

The issue of tourism has to be factored in here too.It is widely known that a booming tourism sector is an asset to any state.Meghalaya does not lag behind its siblings(the seven sister states comprising the North East region)when it comes to tourism potential.Though this potential has remained ‘just potential’ for a booming tourism sector,that is a different matter altogether,one I will not be dragged into here.That being said,it has been argued in certain circles that the implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya will greatly hamper if not altogether kill the tourism sector in the state.Therefore,the ideal situation in Meghalaya is to have in place a system wherein tourists are not adverse from visiting the state while at the same time illegal migrants have no cause to come and settle here.This is where I have to go back to the youth of the state and the change of mindset that is the dire need of the hour.Being industrious and enterprising in what has already been recognized as a sector with a lot of potential,the youth of Meghalaya could go all out on engaging themselves in the tourism sector.It should be appreciated that for every tourist that visits a place,around 67 different categories of people are benefitted either directly or indirectly as a chain reaction of this visit.

Points of Difference “Things would not have reached this sage if the Chief Minister had the tactic and diplomacy on his part to deal with the issue.”– UDP Working President Paul Lyngdoh. “People voted for development and welfare schemes that were promised by the Congress.Even many of the ILP proponent groups were strong supporters or at least voted for the Congress.”– Recordius Enmi Kharbani “By spewing out hatred in public forums against the non–tribals and propagating a skewed theory of racial Puritanism,they (the NGOs) have invited condemnation from citizens across the length and breadth of the country.” – Terrence K Marak “Chief Minister Dr.Mukul Sangma should have had discussed the recommendations of the Committee with the agitating pressure groups before striking down their demand.” – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Chairman of the High Level Committee on Influx Bindo M Lanong. “It looks like the Congress will not implement anything which is not mentioned in its party manifesto.It is sad that the party has to wait for its party high command to decide on issues affecting the indigenous people of the state.” – Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People Publicity Secretary Eldie Newton Lyngdoh. “Why can’t we just admit and accept that the majority is not in favour of the ILP and that it is not good for the state as pointed out in various articles? – Ricky Jyrwa

On another note,I am reminded of a conversation I once had with my barber,with whom I have developed camaraderie through the many years that I have availed of his services.There was this one time that this barber had laughed and said that if he had the privileges that tribals have as their birthright,he would have been a millionaire by now and not a barber struggling to make ends meet.He said that we tribals are not debarred from buying and owning land in Meghalaya besides the fact that we don’t have to pay income tax,these factors all are to our advantage.However our one drawback trumps all these and that drawback is the fact that we are just not industrious and tenacious enough to take charge of our own fortunes.Here I was reminded of the hawkers who line the main commercial streets of Shillong and their never ending run ins with the municipal board which from time to time conducts raids and confiscates their wares.Instead of throwing in the towel and calling it a lost cause which I suspect most tribal youth would do,these very same hawkers will be seen the very next day at the very same spot where their wares were confiscated,happily conducting business again.Would we dare expect such tenacity from our tribal youth?

Points of Difference “The fact of the matter is that if the goal of the ILP is to safeguard and protect the natives,then a new system should be developed.In this era of globalization and liberalization,the entity of a particular community ca not confine themselves to one particular region since the structure of community that we are at present is vastly different from 1873.” – President of the District Congress Committee Baghmara SR Marak. “It is high time for the government of Meghalaya to send teams of officers and politicians separately to Mizoram,Arunachal Pradesh,etc to study how they implement their ILP there so that we can improve it if need be.” – CK Marbaning. “We are aware of the deteriorating system of governance which is a big threat to the society and the generation,the inflation of essential items which hits hard the common man,the loss of tribal land,the law being unequal,the youth being illegally deprived of their right to work,the abuse of power by many in governance,the invasion by dubious companies,the substandard development,and this is accumulating as the days go by and we feel that the adamant attitude of the Government is a slap to democracy and we cannot allow that.” – Civil Society Women’s Organization President Agnes Kharshiing “In a globalised world,we cannot live in isolation.But the merging of humans,economies,cultural and political rights–in short cosmopolitanism must have parameters do that the convergence does not result in the total annihilation of the merging entity.The ILP that the NGOs demand is a model based on coalition of interests (tribal and non – tribal),not a merging of interests.” – General Secretary of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) Sadon K Blah.

Coming back to the issue of the ILP,I seriously doubt that it will be very effective in curbing influx in Meghalaya.As stated earlier,the people entering the state have shown that they are a determined and tenacious lot and I am sure that they will find ample means of entering the state illegally even with an ILP in place in Meghalaya.It can also be argued that a person trying to enter the state illegally will hardly do so through routes with check gates.This kind of person will enter the state through the back alleys which are not manned by officials.How then does the ILP stop such a person from entering the state?

A committee constituted by the Government of Meghalaya which was headed by the then Deputy Chief Minister of the State Mr.Bindo M Lanong,in its report on whether the ILP should be implemented in Meghalaya had affirmed the need for this measure.This committee had stated that the ILP in its present form cannot be implemented in the State and had recommended a number of changes to the existing ILP.As such,the amended ILP,now falls under the purview of the Union Government and not the State Government as any changes to the ILP cannot be made by the State Government.However,in spite of the burning issue in the state,one has to question as to whether the Union Government will take this matter up in right earnest considering the remote location of Meghalaya and its size.In spite of Dr.Mukul Sangma’s good rapport with those at the helm of affairs in New Delhi,it is doubted as to whether this amendment can be brought about in quick time.

It should also be understood here that the issue of the implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya has also been opposed by many prominent tribals of the state.The daily print media has been flooded by the articles of such people who argue that the implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya will drag the State back to the Stone Age.These people do present some very convincing arguments and it is in this context that a public debate on the issue is the need of the hour.It is however very surprising that no move in this direction has been initiated by anybody.Such a debate,including people from cross sections of the society will shed new light on this issue and will go a long way in enlightening the general masses of the pros and cons of having the ILP implemented in the State.

One should also keep in mind the fact that Shillong in particular and Meghalaya in general is poised to become a major player in the national business scenario as it stands as one of the key areas of the much talked about Look East Policy(LEP) of the Government of India.When the LEP starts working in right earnest,Meghalaya will become a hub of international trade with India’s neighbouring countries and the effect of an ILP in the state in such a scenario has to been looked into in depth.
Having said all this,care should also be given that,in the race towards development,the culture,indigenous people and demography do not become collateral damage.The agitating NGOs do have a valid argument.As stated earlier,influx is a very potent threat to the interests of the indigenous people of Meghalaya.The current stalemate benefits no one.In fact,it is the daily wage earners and the common man who is suffering the most because of this stalemate.With both sides taking a firm stand,the situation is getting nowhere and it is here that the civil society needs to step in.It is for this very reason that the public debate mentioned above should be held,and held quickly so that this matter can move forward.However,in such a debate,cool heads need to prevail.Proponents of both arguments have to go in with an open mind and be ready to take in the views of the opposition.

D. Nampui