Now, only Pak & China nationals need special permits to visit NE

NEW DELHI: Foreigners, excluding Pakistani and Chinese, visiting India on valid visa will not have to take special permit to travel to Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland from January 1 as government has scrapped the provision to boost tourism in these northeastern states, beginning New Year. The relief, however, won't be applicable to foreigners who would like to go to Arunachal Pradesh. Even in the three exempted states, the relief will initially be for one year.

"The government has decided to exclude Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland from the Protected Area regime notified under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order 1958, initially for a period of one year," a MHA statement said. However, all foreigners visiting these states will have to register themselves with Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) of the district they visit within 24 hours of their arrival.

The restriction was in force since pre-independence days. Now, Arunachal Pradesh is the only state left in the north-east where foreigners are required to take prior permission before any visit. Citizens of some specified countries, including Pakistan and China, would, however, continue to require prior approval of the MHA before their visit to these three states.