India News | Bhaichung Bhutia-led Party Seeks Inner Line Permit for Sikkim

Gangtok, Oct 16 (PTI) The Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP), headed by former Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia, on Sunday demanded that the Himalayan state sharing borders with several countries be brought under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to check influx of outsiders.

The ILP is an official document issued by the government to grant inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.

Also Read | Kerala Human Sacrifice Case: Key Accused Convinced Others That Victims' Flesh Could Be Sold.

The HSP which held a convention on the issue during the day here would request the state and central governments to impose the ILP in the northeastern state, Bhutia said.

“The party would embark on a yatra across the state to spread awareness about the ILP. We will continue to fight for the ILP until it is adopted in Sikkim,” he said.

Also Read | Rajasthan Government Approves Around Rs 747 Crore for Drinking Water Project.

Speakers at the convention said ILP is necessary for the northeastern state as security issues are very high due to its sharing borders with China, Nepal and Bhutan. Besides, they said, the influx of a large number of outsiders is creating unemployment for the local people.

The participants also said that the Sikkim government should pass a resolution to implement ILP and send it to the Centre as the official demand of the state.

Of the eight states in the northeastern region, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland are currently under the ILP regime.

Representatives of various social and tribal organisations were invited to the convention.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)