MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (e) of LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 425 FOR 23rd DECEMBER, 2014
(a): In terms of Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, Inner Line Permit system is prevalent in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland for domestic tourists from other States. Some areas in Jammu & Kashmir can be visited by domestic tourists only after obtaining an Inner Line Permit. Further, some areas in the States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh notified under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1961 can be visited by a domestic tourist only on the basis of a Permit issued by the competent authority.
The visit of foreign tourists in India is regulated by the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958 and the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963. All areas falling between the Inner Line as defined in the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958 and the International Border of the State have been declared as Protected Area. Under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, some areas have been declared as Restricted Areas for entry and stay of foreigners. Presently, the Protected and Restricted Areas are located in the following States:- Protected Areas : Whole of Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Sikkim & Uttarakhand
Restricted Areas : Parts of Sikkim and whole of Andaman & Nicobar Islands In addition, 45 Tibetan Settlements across 10 States i.e. Arunachal Pradesh (3), Chhattisgarh (2), Himachal Pradesh (9), Jammu & Kashmir (3), Karnataka (11), Maharashtra (1), Odisha (5), Sikkim (1), Uttarakhand (7), West Bengal (3) are covered in the Protected Area for foreign tourists.
(b) & (c) : A proposal for relaxing the Inner Line Permit in the State of Jammu & Kashmir (Ladakh region) and opening of new areas for tourism in Leh District was examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Government of Jammu & Kashmir has been advised on 17.11.2014 to notify the extended Inner Line Permit beyond Panamik up to Warshi, including Yarma Gompa/ Yarma Gonbo Monastery.
(d) to (e) : The entire area of the States of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland was excluded from the Protected Area Permit regime for foreign tourists subject to certain conditions initially for a period of one year w.e.f. 1st January, 2011, which is being extended periodically. This relaxation has been extended by the Ministry of Home Affairs till 31.12.2015.
Further, the Ministry of Home Affairs has received the following proposals with regard to relaxation of the Permit system for tourists:-
(1) Proposal from the Government of Arunachal Pradesh for(i) creation of a new Tourist Circuit - Margerita-Jairampur-Nampong- Manmao-Pangsau Pass, (ii) extension of one existing tourist circuit Margerita-Miao-Namdapa to Vijoynagar, (iii) delegation of powers to Resident Commissioner, New Delhi and Deputy Resident Commissioners in Kolkata & Guwahati to issue Protected Area Permit to single foreign tourists to visit Tawang, Bomdila and Ziro and (iv) delegation of powers to issue Protected Area Permit to Deputy Resident Commissioners in Kolkata & Guwahati directly to the foreign tourists without sponsorship of registered Tourist Operator.
(2) Proposal for simplifying the permit system for Green Lake Trekking in Sikkim
(3) Proposal for removing the Protected Area Permit requirement for foreign tourists visiting the Tibetan Settlements in various parts of the country
Review of Inner Line/ Protected Area/ Restricted Area Permit regimes is a continuous process and no specific time line can be fixed for this purpose.
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