Mizoram body flags surge in non-tribal traders, alleges ILP violations in Aizawl
The body further claimed that compliance with taxation norms is low, only 39.3 % of non-tribal shops are registered under GST
ILP cell in Mizoram (Photo: @mizozeitgeist/x)
Aizawl, Feb 4: Non-profit organisation Mizoram First raised serious concern over what it described as a sharp increase in non-tribal traders operating across the capital. They maintained this is illegal without valid permission in a tribal State like Mizoram.
Addressing a press conference at the Aizawl Press Club on Tuesday, ZR Thahmingliana, president of Mizoram First, said a recent survey conducted across 24 localities along Aizawl’s main spinal road – stretching from Kulikawn in the south to Zemabawk in the north – identified 122 business outlets being run by non-tribal traders.
“Out of the total workforce engaged in these outlets, as many as 76.2 per cent or 342 workers are non-tribals,” he said, adding that 34 per cent of them were found to be operating without valid Inner Line Permits (ILPs). “Most of these traders have come from Assam and Bihar,” Thahmingliana said.
Mizoram First further claimed that compliance with taxation norms was alarmingly low. “Only 39.3 per cent of the non-tribal shops that we identified, are registered under the GST,” Thahmingliana stated.
He also pointed out that non-tribal traders now dominate the wholesale trade of construction materials as well as essential commodities here. “A majority of wholesale outlets dealing in daily necessities are now under non-tribal control,” he added.
Noting that Mizoram is a tribal State where non-tribals are legally barred from carrying out trade without proper authorisation, the organisation stressed the need for immediate intervention from the Government.
It called for real-time ILP monitoring through a Visitor Tracking System, creation of a digital business registry, digital business mapping, and automated compliance mechanisms for taxation and regulation.
“This is not about hatred or hostility towards outsiders,” Thahmingliana said, adding, “Our concern is about safeguarding the rights and security of the Mizo tribal population, and ensuring that existing laws are properly enforced.”