Nagaland has allowed all categories of visitors to apply for inner line permits (ILP) online, extending a facility that was so far limited to tourists alone.

The ILP is an official time-bound travel document required by outsiders to visit or stay in the states under the permit system introduced to protect the interest of indigenous communities. ILPs are required in four states of the Northeast — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur.

Launching the service in Kohima on Thursday, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio said the online module for tourists was made operational in November 2019 but the new system would also cover other categories of visitors such as businessmen, traders, labourers, priests and students.

“It is part of the government’s effort to make public services available in a more efficient and user-friendly manner…. The ILP is a tool to protect the indigenous people of Nagaland and is enforced under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. With strict timelines and monitoring, it should be possible to see that the approval process is not abused and the ILP applicants are also happy,” Rio said.

Dimapur, the commercial hub of the state, was the last district to be brought under the ILP regime in 2019 by the Nagaland government led by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), an ally of the BJP.

The online ILP service, Rio said, would enable authorities to capture all data of visitors to the state, analyse it and help in planning for various facilities.

An applicant has to specifically mention date of travel, duration of stay and places to visit to obtain the permit, issued by the state government through online and offline modes.

There has been an ongoing demand for introduction of the ILP in Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya too to check influx.

The ILP is a colonial-era system introduced by the British under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, to regulate the entry and stay of outsiders in specified areas. It continues even now to protect the indigenous tribal communities from exploitation at the hands of people from other states.

Principal secretary (home), Abhijit Sinha, said that with the introduction of the new module, all categories of visitors can now apply online for permits from the comfort of their homes and added that payment for applications can be made online for all categories. He said the offline mode would continue for some time and the government would take a call on what to do with it.

An application for issue of online ILP may be made by registering on the site www.ilp.nagaland.gov.in, providing all the requisite details, uploading photograph, valid government recognised photo IDs, address proof; and paying the prescribed fees; as per the laid down instructions/guidelines on the website.

“The digital copy of the ILP card generated or its hard copy shall be considered as valid ILP document when carried along with a government recognised photo ID by the person concerned. The facility of online ILP will be in addition to the existing manual/offline mode of obtaining ILPs,” a government notification said.