Context: 

Different groups in the Khasi hills are applying pressure tactics to push for introduction of an Inner Line Permit system in Meghalaya.

Background:

There have been instances of locals setting up “check post” in Meghalaya to check documentation of vehicles entering the state from Assam and to check non-local workers in and around Shillong for work permits.

About Inner Line Permit system: 

1. Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.
2. It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
3. The document is an effort by the government to regulate movement to certain areas.
4. This is an offshoot of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which protected Crown’s interest in the tea, oil and elephant trade by prohibiting “British subjects” from entering into these “Protected Areas” (to prevent them from establishing any commercial venture that could rival the Crown’s agents).
5. The word “British subjects” was replaced by Citizen of India in 1950.
6. Despite the fact that the ILP was originally created by the British to safeguard their commercial interests, it continues to be used in India, officially to protect tribal cultures in northeastern India.
7. There are different kinds of ILP’s, one for tourists and others for people who intend to stay for long-term periods, often for employment purposes.

The states which require the permit are:

Arunachal Pradesh:

• It is issued by the secretary (political) of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is required for entering Arunachal Pradesh through any of the check gates across the interstate border with Assam or Nagaland.

Mizoram: 

• It is issued by the Government of Mizoram. It is required for entering Mizoram through any of the check gates across the inter-State borders.If arriving by air, an ILP can be obtained on arrival at Lengpui Airport in Aizawl.

Nagaland: 

• It is issued by the Government of Nagaland. It is mandatory for Indian citizens of other states entering Nagaland through any of the check gates across the interstate borders. Dimapur, Nagaland’s largest city is the only place in the state which does not require an ILP, and Indians arriving by air at Dimapur Airport can arrive and stay in the city without one.