Naga students' body demands landlord-tenant registration system for ILP enforcement

The Naga Students' Federation (NSF) has raised concerns over gaps in the enforcement of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) mechanism and has urged the state government to implement a mandatory landlord-tenant registration system in order to bridge them.

The ILP is a travel document required by outsiders, including people from other states of the country, to visit Nagaland and other states where it is in force.

The NSF, an apex body of youth and students in the state, constituted the Inner Line Regulation Committee (ILRC) in March in response to the increasing inflow of illegal immigrants, which it said poses a severe risk to the Naga identity, culture, and territorial rights.

In a letter to the of Nagaland chief secretary, ILRC Chairman Senchumo NSN Lotha, NSF Vice President Mteisuding, and ILRC Member Secretary Seve R Vadeo said that the lack of monitoring of tenants in informal and private accommodations undermines the effectiveness of the ILP regime, especially in urban and peri-urban areas.

“Despite the digitisation of ILP, there are serious loopholes as ILP-holders or defaulters can easily settle unnoticed in rental spaces. A landlord-tenant registry would hold property owners accountable while equipping enforcement agencies with updated databases of non-local residents,” the letter stated.

They proposed that all landlords across Nagaland be mandated to register their tenants—particularly non-indigenous persons—with the nearest police station, municipal authority, or through a designated online portal.

This requirement, they said, must apply not only to formal accommodations but also to shanties, temporary shelters, makeshift rooms, and other informal housing units, which are often the preferred option for unauthorised settlers in urban and semi-urban areas.

To ensure compliance, the proposed system also called for the establishment of strong penal provisions for landlords who fail to register their tenants, conceal information, or knowingly provide shelter to individuals without valid ILPs.

Furthermore, the ILRC NSF stressed the importance of integrating this landlord-tenant registry with Nagaland’s existing online ILP system, so that enforcement agencies can carry out real-time verification and monitoring of non-local individuals staying within the state.

Calling for urgent action, the NSF said the representation comes in the wake of Assam’s ongoing eviction drive, which has raised concerns about a potential spillover of displaced or undocumented individuals into Nagaland's border districts.

The ILRC NSF highlighted the need for urgent action to prevent unauthorised settlements and protect the state's demographic integrity.

In the letter, the organisation cited practices in other states such as Mizoram’s sponsor tracking model, Assam’s police-verified tenant system, and similar frameworks in Maharashtra, Delhi and Karnataka.