Cong opposes Centre's plan to relax PAP

The Congress today opposed the Centres plan to relax the Restricted Area Permit(RAP) regime in Arunachal Pradesh and urged Governor Brig (Retd) Dr B D Mishra to intervene as the state shares borders with three foreign countries.

"Arunachal is a very sensitive border state with China claiming its territory. The recent incident of road construction by China inside the Indian territory at Tuting in Upper Siang district speaks volume of the states sensitiveness," the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee said in a memorandum submitted to the governor.

"In such a sensitive situation if tourists are allowed to move freely in the state and the border areas it will create a vulnerable situation. There is every apprehension of spying in the sensitive border areas if RAP is relaxed in the state," the APCC memorandum said.

The union home ministry is examining whether to relax the six-decade-old Restricted Area Permit regime, under which foreigners must obtain a special permission to visit Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and parts Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir among others, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday.

Stating that the indigenous local people had suffered a lot during the 1962 Chinese aggression, it said the then Jawaharlal Nehru government took prompt and necessary measures for which the could be re-settled.

"The people of Arunachal will never accept and allow free movement of any foreigners, even Indian citizens along the sensitive border areas," the APCC said.

The state, earlier called the North East Frontier Agency, had various regulations passed to protect the area and its indigenous tribal people according to Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873 which clearly stated that the area is a protected zone.

The memorandum said that the Panchsheel Treaty was signed with China (in 1954) to protect the tribals' rights and the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system was introduced to protect and safeguard the life and property of the indigenous people of the state.

"Since then the state is under the Inner Line Permit system and even Indian citizens from the rest of the country cannot enter the state without ILP," the party said.

Under the Foreigners Protected Areas Order 1958 all areas falling between the inner line and international border of the state have been declared protected area which is applicable to entire Arunachal Pradesh and other sensitive border states, the memorandum added.