Dimapur, July 24 (MExN): The Naga Students’ Federation’s (NSF) Inner Line Regulation Commission (NSF-ILRC) has urged the Nagaland Government to implement a mandatory Landlord-Tenant Registration System across the state to strengthen the enforcement of the Inner Line Pass (ILP) under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the NSF-ILRC urged the Government of Nagaland to initiate and institutionalize a mandatory Landlord-Tenant Registration System across the state as a critical supporting mechanism for the effective enforcement of the ILP system.
Stating that enforcement gaps continue despite the introduction of online ILP portals and QR-code-based verification, the NSF-ILRC noted that “serious enforcement gaps—particularly in urban and peri-urban areas—[exist] due to the unmonitored settlement of ILP-holders or ILP-defaulters in private and informal rental accommodations.”
“This undermines the very intent of the ILP regime,” the letter stated, while highlighting that a landlord-tenant registration framework would help hold landlords accountable for verifying the ILP status of tenants, provide updated databases to enforcement agencies, prevent overstays and detect illegal immigrants, especially in view of the situation in neighbouring Assam.
The NSF-ILRC pointed to practices in other states such as Mizoram, which uses a digitised ILP portal with sponsor tracking; Assam, where tenant registration is enforced in select districts; and Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi, which mandate tenant registration with local police for demographic verification.
Proposing a framework for Nagaland, the NSF-ILRC recommended that landlords be required to register all tenants, “especially non-indigenous persons, with the nearest police station, municipal authority, or designated online portal.”
The system, it stated, must cover all accommodation types including “shanties, temporary shelters, makeshift rooms, and informal housing—particularly in urban and peri-urban areas.”
“Registration must include key documents such as copies of the Inner Line Pass (ILP), Aadhaar or other valid identity proof, and contact information for both tenant and landlord,” the letter added.
It also proposed penalties such as monetary fines, temporary suspension of rental rights, or legal prosecution against landlords who fail to register tenants or provide housing to individuals without valid ILPs. Integration with the existing online ILP system was also suggested for real-time verification.
The NSF-ILRC noted, “Given the ongoing eviction drives in Assam and the potential for spillover of undocumented or displaced persons into border districts of Nagaland, we believe urgent action is needed to prevent unauthorized settlements and safeguard the demographic integrity of the state.”
