Dimapur, May 8 (MExN): The Naga People’s Youth Front (NPYF), Dimapur District has expressed concern over what it termed as “growing administrative gaps” in the implementation and monitoring of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Nagaland, particularly in urban districts such as Dimapur and Chümoukedima.
In a press statement issued on Friday, the organisation stated that while the ILP mechanism remains “an important constitutional safeguard for protecting the rights, identity, and land interests of the indigenous Naga people,” the present system mainly focuses on monitoring entry into the state.
“Once individuals enter Nagaland, there exists very limited institutional monitoring regarding their duration of stay, place of residence, employment details, or permit expiry status. This administrative loophole has weakened the effectiveness of the ILP framework over time,” the statement maintained.
In this regard, NPYF Dimapur District suggested that the Government of Nagaland consider establishing a Non-Local Residents Register (NLRR) “as a complementary mechanism to strengthen ILP enforcement in a lawful, transparent, and systematic manner.”
According to the Front, the proposed NLRR should function as “a proper record-management system for non-local residents staying in Nagaland beyond a specified period.” It stated that such a framework would help authorities maintain verified records relating to residential address, work sector, employer details, educational institution, and intended duration of stay.
NPYF further said that the system would help transform ILP enforcement from a mere “entry-point checking system” into a more accountable and organised “entry-to-exit monitoring framework.”
“It would also reduce dependence on random spot-checking and instead promote evidence-based verification through proper documentation,” the statement added.
The organisation also suggested bringing landlords, business establishments, contractors, educational institutions, and employers under a system of shared responsibility, requiring them to register non-local tenants, workers, students, and employees under their supervision.
Such measures, it said, would improve accountability while ensuring proper maintenance of records.
NPYF Dimapur District also emphasised that any such mechanism “must remain constitutionally balanced and humanitarian in nature.”
“The proposal must respect the special constitutional protections granted to Nagaland under Article 371A while also ensuring that lawful non-local residents are treated fairly and respectfully,” it stated, adding that a properly structured NLRR could protect genuine non-local residents by providing them with official proof of stay and reducing possibilities of arbitrary harassment or confusion.
The Front maintained that strengthening administrative systems was necessary “not to target any community, but to ensure better governance, public confidence, urban planning, security coordination, and demographic transparency within the state.”
Accordingly, NPYF Dimapur District urged the Government of Nagaland to “seriously examine the feasibility of introducing a Non-Local Residents Register (NLRR) through proper legal consultation, stakeholder discussion, and administrative planning in the larger interest of the state and its people.”
