Kohima.
The Nagaland government has decided to appeal to the Center to exclude the north-eastern state from the ambit of Protected Area Permit (PAP). State Environment Minister CL John said on Tuesday that in the cabinet meeting held on Monday at the Chief Minister’s residential complex, it was decided that the Union Home Ministry will be requested to abolish the PAP system in Nagaland.
Under the Protected Area Permit, foreign nationals are required to obtain a PAP to travel to certain areas of India, including certain areas in the North-Eastern region.
‘The decision was taken after intensive discussion’
Minister John said, ‘The PAP system was discussed in depth in the cabinet meeting. Cabinet members observed that the state had peacefully celebrated the Hornbill Festival from December 1 to 10 last year, which was attended by over 2,000 foreign guests. The Cabinet decided that an appeal will be made to the Center to remove the PAP system from Nagaland.
Two and a half thousand foreigners came last year
A total of 2,05,968 tourists visited the Naga heritage village Kisama during the Hornbill Festival held in December last year. These included 2,527 foreigners, located about 12 kilometers south of the state capital.
The arrangement was ended in 2021, then implemented again
The PAP arrangement, which was implemented since the 1960s keeping in mind security reasons and regional sensitivities, was abolished in December 2021. This allowed foreign nationals to enter Nagaland and other north-eastern states without permits. However, after three years, the Home Ministry again implemented the PAP system in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram in December.
