Relaxing entry to restricted areas

Zafri Mudasser Nofil
Relaxing rules in restrictive areas like Arunachal Pradesh, Leh and Ladakh as mulled by the NDA Government will go in a long way in promoting tourism in these picturesque regions.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, while speaking on the sidelines of the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangkok recently, had said that the Narendra Modi Government may relax rules in these restrictive areas to promote tourism without compromising security.
Rijiju, who led an Indian delegation to the conference, said that the People Area Permit (PAP) and Restricted Area Permit (RAP) will be relaxed from certain pockets of Arunachal Pradesh, Leh and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir to promote tourism.
Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, said tourists including foreigners, were keen to visit places like Buddhist shrines, and some of these were in the restricted zones.
Emphasising the need to open these areas to domestic and foreign tourists with less restriction and develop infrastructure in the bordering areas, he said, “If you restrict a region it will never open up. Link will always be restrictive. We are not lifting all restrictions. We want to open up for foreigners partially with less restriction easily accessible to all visitors.”
He stressed that there are no plans to lift RAP and PAP, saying, “We want to relax to extent that it does not pose security risk.”
Reiterating that India’s look east can be substantiated only through the northeast, Rijiju said, “The northeast can be a hub of tourism, culture and trade,” adding that it was also important strategically.
Northeast region is a virgin unexplored terrain with vast tourism potential in the form of wildlife sanctuaries, adventure tourism assets, diverse cultural heritage, multi- faceted fairs and festivals, and world famous Buddhist monasteries.
A common perception is that entry to the northeast is highly restricted. There are restrictions in certain areas due to reasons of population composition, remoteness and strategic reasons.
Most areas are freely accessible. The entry of Indian nationals and foreigners are restricted in certain states and parts in the northeastern region under three restrictive regimes which are dealt with by the Foreigners Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs. These are Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Indian citizens, PAP for foreign nationals and RAP for foreign nationals
A foreign national is not normally allowed to go to a protected or restricted area unless it is established to the satisfaction of the government that there are extraordinary reasons to justify such a visit.
Every foreigner, except a citizen of Bhutan, who desires to enter and stay in a protected or restricted area, is required to obtain a special permit from a competent authority delegated with powers to issue such a special permit to a foreigner, on application.
With a view to promote tourism, some areas notified by the Government from time to time can be visited by foreign tourists, either in groups, or by a husband and wife, or by individuals, after obtaining the necessary permit from the competent authority.
Under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958, all areas falling between the ‘Inner line’ and the International Border of the state have been declared as a Protected Area. Currently, protected areas are located in these states: whole of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
However, according to a circular dated December 30, 2010 of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the entire area of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland has been excluded from the protected area regime notified under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order 1958, initially for a period of one year with effect from January 1, 2011, subject to some conditions.
Citizens of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and foreign nationals having their origin in these countries would continue to require prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs before their visit to Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.
Citizens of Myanmar visiting Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland beyond 16 km from the Indo- Myanmar border would continue to require prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs for visiting these states.
All foreigners visiting these states will register themselves with the Foreigners Registration Officer of the district they visit within 24 hours of their arrival.
Under the Foreigners (Restricted) Areas Order, 1963, the areas declared as ‘restricted’ areas are entire Andaman & Nicobar Islands and part of Sikkim.
A foreigner can travel within the northeastern states through the National Highways or by air. While travelling by road, the tour should be undertaken largely through the National Highways.
Where the places to be visited are situated on a National Highway, no other road should be utilised.
In cases where the places, which are to be visited, are not on a National Highway, the tour should be undertaken in such a way that the maximum distance is travelled on a National Highway, restricting the utilisation of other road routes to the minimum. Even Inner Line Permit is required for Indian citizens to enter Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. This permit is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. The conditions and restrictions differ from state to state.
Spread over an area of 2,65,000 sq.km, the northeast has an ecology and lifestyle, and economy that has been shaped by the major rivers of the region – the Brahmaputra and the Barak, ranges of mountains and thick tracks of jungles and heavy monsoons. The region is a melting pot of variegated cultural mosaic of people and races, an ethnic tapestry of many hues and shades. The folk culture is vital in the region. The primitive culture of at least the Neolithic age now co-exists with the modern and post -modern lifestyle. Well integrated with life and nature, the folk artworks have a common element of tune and tone.
Northeastern states share borders with China in the north, Bangladesh in the South-West, Bhutan in the North-West and Myanmar in the East. All these make the northeast a prospective hub of international tourism, trade and commerce.

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