Sikkim forum to step up pressure for ILP extension

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, 22 Feb 2020: Gangtok: Sikkim Against Citizenship Amendment Act (SACCA), which comprises various political parties and social organisations, on Friday iterated its demand for the extension of the Inner Line Permit throughout the state in order to exempt Sikkim from the purview of the CAA.

A meeting of the SACAA here decided to approach both Sikkim governor Ganga Prasad and the state government and impress upon them the need to bring the entire Sikkim under the ILP regime in order to safeguard the interest of the state.

"The meeting renewed its resolve to get the ILP extended to the entire state to safeguard the future of our state. It was also decided to approach both the governor and the state government soon to explain to them the danger the implementation of CAA poses to Sikkim," SACAA coordinator Passang Sherpa said.

States like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland where the ILP is in operation have been exempted from the CAA. The ILP is an official document issued by respective state governments to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. The ILP falls under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

The SACAA regretted that while Assam had been very strongly pursuing the Centre for the implementation of the ILP, the Sikkim government appeared unconcerned.

"The state government is yet to take any concrete step in order to get the ILP extended to the entire state. If the state government fails to act, we will take action on our own," Sherpa said without specifying what those steps would be.

In Sikkim, the ILP is in operation only in parts of North Sikkim.