MANIPURI ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
9 CORRAL COURT, WHITBY
ONTARIO L1N 8E7, CANADA
www.manipuricanada.org Ph. 905-493-4931
November 24, 2011
Ref: MAC/India/PAP-007
To
Shri P. Chidambaram
Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs, India
North Block, Central Secretariat
New Delhi-110101, India
Sub: Request for Permanent Removal of PAP regime from Manipur
Hon’ble Shri Chidambaram,
In full gratitude I join the three million Manipuris in India and abroad to acknowledge your sense of social justice and political wisdom in removing Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime from Manipur and two other states in North-East India effective January 01, 2011 initially for one year. This was an important milestone in India’s renewed venture to solve the multifarious problems plaguing the North-Eastern Region (NER).
Assessment of the direct benefits of lifting PAP to Manipur and for that matter, to the NER in quantifiable terms may be difficult during the past ten months as the time is too short to see things changing as an effect of opening of the region to foreigners. The news of the relaxations in foreigners’ entry to Manipur has not yet filtered into the travel guides available within India and abroad. The information regarding changes in foreigners’ entry to Manipur is yet to be updated in many Indian Missions abroad. We believe a coordinated action of the Indian Government to put the information in wide publicity may be required so that expected results of lifting PAP become more visible and measurable.
Notwithstanding the slow percolation of the information into various systems to cause desired level of changes, the lifting of PAP heralded a new chapter in the lives of the people in NER vis-a-vis the wave of globalization sweeping wide across India. Perhaps, this was a very timely action in the most appropriate sense of socio-political manoeuvre in laying a platform for North-Eastern people to take part meaningfully in development projects involving global players. In a life without PAP regime, and favoured by other paraphernalia of India’s new thrust of development initiatives in the region, we can expect to see an unprecedented increase in academic standards of the universities, research and development works, foreign direct investment, productivity and flow of merchandise, trade and commerce, socio-cultural integration and general sense of security, progress and satisfaction in the North-Eastern Region in the days ahead. People in the NER have been languishing for all these for years.
The period of temporary lifting of PAP that came into effect on January 01, 2011 is coming to an end by December 31, 2011. This may mean bringing an end to the hopes and aspirations that just started blossoming in the minds of the Manipuris and the other people in India’s North-East. We wish to stop this from happening.
I, on behalf of the Manipuri Association of Canada, other collaborating Manipuri expatriate organizations, local support groups and all signatories of the Global Online Petition for Removal of PAP from Manipur (submitted to you in December 2010), would like to request you to remove PAP from Manipur on a permanent basis as a subsequent action to the much praised temporary lifting of the same a year ago. This will lay a true foundation of development in India’s NER.
With high regards
Sincerely,
Sd/-
Dr. Rajkumar Singh
President, MAC
Copy to:
1. Shri Subodh Kant Sahai
Hon’ble Minister, Tourism, India
2. Shri Vayalar Ravi
Hon’ble Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, India
3. Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar
Hon’ble Minister of DoNER, India
4. Shri Okram Ibobi Singh
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur, India
5. Shri Rishang Keishing
Hon’ble Member of Rajya Sabha, India
6. Dr. Thokchom Meinya Singh
Hon’ble Member of Lok Sabha (Inner Manipur), India
7. Shri Thangso Baite
Hon’ble Member Lok Sabha (Outer Manipur), India
8. Shri T N Haokip
Hon’ble Minister, Tourism, Manipur
9. Shri N. Biren
Hon’ble Minister, Youth Affairs and Sports, Manipur
Sd/-
Dr. Phalguni Sougaijam
Secretary, MAC
