Mizoram to introduce 'Disturbed Areas' bill

Mizoram will introduce the 'Mizoram Disturbed Areas Bill, 2015' in the next Assembly session to enable the government to declare any militant-hit area in the state as 'Disturbed'.
Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana, while addressing the ruling Congress workers at the 'Congress Bhavan' here, said the bill was being drafted and would be vetted by the state law department.
The next session of the Assembly is likely to be convened in July as the Vote-on-Account passed by the house in March was only for the first four months of the current fiscal commencing from April.
Meanwhile, all major opposition parties in the state including the Mizo National Front (MNF) opposed the state government's proposal to declare the northeastern part of the state adjoining Manipur, commonly known as 'Demand area' of the Hmar Peoples Convention (HPC), as 'disturbed area'.

The opposition parties and some civil societies opposed to the proposal saying that the people in the area would not only be oppressed by the security personnel and human rights violations would hit the area but also would result in further alienation of the Hmar community which would harm the unity of the Mizos.
Earlier, state Additional Secretary for Home Lalbiakzama said that the bill was initiated last year and the state home department had held consultations with the law department on the matter.

He said that documents have been compiled for approaching the Ministry of Home Affairs on the issue of declaring the Manipur-based Hmar People's Convention (Democrats) as unlawful organisation.

Following the decision made by the state government and the meeting of all the major political parties, the move to outlaw the HPC(D) was expeditiously pursued, he said.
The HPC, went underground demanding a separate autonomous district council for the area adjoining Manipur since 1989 and came overground in 1994 after signing an agreement with the state government.
The Manipur-based HPC (Democrats), now at loggerheads with the Mizoram was formed in 1994 by Lalhmingthanga Sanate, one of the top leaders of the HPC with other cadre unhappy with the agreement and went underground again.