Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio has urged Union home minister Amit Shah to ensure immediate action on the clearance of Protected Area Permit (PAP) applications for foreign delegates attending the Hornbill Festival.

The Hornbill Festival is scheduled to begin from December 1.

All preparations for the festival have been completed, but clearance of PAPs for foreign delegates remains pending with the ministry of home affairs (MHA), a government statement issued on Friday said.

The delay over clearance of the PAPs stem from the scheduled participation of representatives from six partner countries for the 26th edition of Nagaland’s flagship tourism festival. The countries are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, France, Malta and Switzerland.

The Protected Area Regime (PAR) was once lifted in 2011 to promote tourism. But in 2024, the MHA reintroduced the PAR in Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland owing to security concerns, making it mandatory for foreign nationals to obtain a permit from the Centre prior to visiting specified protected areas.

In his letter to the MHA, the chief minister said that with only days remaining before the festival’s opening, the delay in clearing the PAPs has created “serious concern”. He requested Shah’s immediate and personal attention to ensure urgent issuance of the permits.

Emphasising Nagaland’s long-standing partnership with the NDA and its participation under the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) banner, Rio appealed for the Centre’s support for lifting the PAP regime, a move which “would significantly boost tourism, improve ease of movement and further strengthen Nagaland’s integration with the rest of the country”.