Mizo opposition parties warn Centre against ILR lifting

Aizawl, Jun 13 (UNI) The opposition does want lifting of the Inner Line Regulation and Restricted Area Permit(ILR/RAP) from Mizoram.

The Congress, Zoram Nationalist Party and Mizoram People's Conference submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Ministry to this effect.

This despite the Mizoram government clarifying that it had no intention to lift the ILR/RAP. It attributed rumours about lifting of ILR/RAP to erroneous press reports.

But the opposition parties are still unsatisfied given that the issue had been discussed at the NEC sectoral meeting on tourism at Gangtok.

''We strongly suspect that the MNF government had discussed lifting of the ILR/RAP with the Centre and will easily succumb if the Centre pressurises.

''In this situation, we have reminded the Centre that lifting of ILR/RAP is a serious issue and no single party's opinion alone should be the base for taking any decision,'' a spokesperson of the combined parties said.

The state government had said it was considering relaxation of the ILR/RAP to boost tourism industry in Mizoram since these were big hurdles against tourists from visiting the length and breadth of Mizoram.

Informed sources here said that it was also the consensus of the NE states to lift the inner line regulations from some of the NE states, where they are in force.

UNI