Aizawl, Jul 2: The Mizoram Merchant Association (MIMA), an umbrella body of traders of the state, on Tuesday urged Home Minister K Sapdanga to strictly enforce rules to prevent violation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in view of the potential influx after the inauguration of the new Bairabi- Sairang railway line.
ILP is an official travel document issued to Indian citizens for entry into a few states including Mizoram.
Leaders of MIMA met Sapdanga in Aizawl on Tuesday and urged him to strictly enforce the ILP system to ensure that the local people are not economically subjugated by outsiders, the organisation’s general secretary RMS Dawngkimi said.
Officials said that the 51.38 km long Bairabi-Sairang new railway line project has been completed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate it this month.
Dawngkimi said that leaders of the merchant body expressed apprehension that the opening of the railway line may trigger influx of people from other states and the economically vulnerable Mizo society may face social and economic subjugation unless the ILP provision is not enforced in a stricter manner.
They urged the home minister to upgrade ILP check at the Bairbai railway station, the first train station in Mizoram near the Assam border, and maintain utmost caution while issuing travel passes to outsiders, she said.
The organisation urged Sapdanga to regularly check any violation of the ILP system from the existing pass holders and also check incoming and outgoing passengers at roadside and halt stations along the Bairabi-Sairang railway line, Dawngkimi said.
The leaders also urged the home minister to fence Sairang railway station to prevent passengers from easily leaving the station before their passes are verified, she said.
The 51.38 km long railway line project is part of the Centre’s Act East policy, which aims at boosting connectivity and economic integration across the Northeast region.
It will first link Aizawl with Assam’s Silchar town and then the rest of the country, and brings Mizoram within the fold of India’s railway network for the first time.
The construction of the project began in 2015.
On Monday, Chief Minister Lalduhoma had said that outsiders may rush into the state once the railway line is opened, and he urged the Mizo people to prepare themselves to peacefully coexist with diversified communities and faith.
The chief minister had also said that the Centre has agreed to provide a Rajdhani Express to facilitate a direct rail link between Aizawl and Delhi, Kolkata and Tripura.(PTI)
