Centre will open up restricted northeast areas to foreigners

The ministries of home, defence and tourism have agreed, in principle, to open up restricted areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim for foreign tourists.

• A formal announcement to this effect will come only after consultations with state governments involved that need to sign off on the plan.
• At present, Arunachal Pradesh and some parts of Sikkim have restrictions on access and free movement of foreign tourists by way of permits such as Protected Areas Permit (PAP) and Restricted Areas Permit (RAP).
• Tourism industry executives have hailed the government’s initiative and cited the examples of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland which have witnessed a surge in foreign tourist influx after the home ministry lifted restrictions on January 1, 2011.

Protected/Restricted Area Permit for India

• The Foreigner (Protected Areas) Act requires foreigners to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to visit certain areas in India.
• This requirement is in addition to getting an Indian visa. In order to get this permit, you must meet certain requirements. Such restriction is in place due to security reasons.
• Even Indian citizens who are not residents of those areas require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter these places. The Inner Line Permit is significantly easier to get.
• However, NRIs (Indians who are staying abroad for more than 6 months), PIO Card holders, and OCI holders are not eligible for Inner Line Permit. They will have to apply for a regular Protected/Restricted Area Permit.
• However, most of these areas are remote and away from normal tourist destinations. Some tourists still visit the restricted areas because they are very beautiful and fascinating remote places.
• The previous PAP requirements have been lifted for Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and the Darjiling area of West Bengal. There is $30 fee for Protected/Restricted Area Permits for all nationalities.
• Please keep in mind that Protected/Restricted Areas are not necessarily dangerous to foreign travelers. However, there may be other parts of India that may be dangerous to foreign travelers, but no special permit may be required to visit those areas.

By: Ziyaur Rahman