From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, Nov 5: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by a senior BJP leader said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) failed to check illegal migration and cross-border terrorism from Bangladesh, which has affected five border states including Meghalaya and other parts of the country.
After a long pause in the wake of widespread violence over the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019, the issue of illegal migration and terrorism from across neighbouring Bangladesh to Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, and West Bengal, changing demographic profile has been brought to the fore.
The committee chaired by former Union Minister, PP Chaudhary also said the existing mechanism to deal with these Bangladesh-related vital issues has failed to control the situation.
The report submitted to Parliament said illegal migration from Bangladesh is causing demographic changes in the country, mainly in the five border states. This has led to the rise in most cross-border crimes including terrorism, the report said.
The Committee in its report expressed recurring instances of terrorism, illegal migration, smuggling of fake currency and trafficking in drugs and weapons from across the Bangladesh border.
“The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been raising the issue of illegal migration, but with no outcome and the bilateral institutional mechanism has also not been capable enough to tackle the situation,” the report said.
Ringing the alarm bell, the Committee asked the MHA to act in close coordination with the MEA to handle this explosive issue head-on. More importantly, the illegal migration is increasing despite close cooperation with Bangladesh under the present regimes in both the countries, it said.
The panel further said that the existing bilateral institutional mechanisms between India and Bangladesh to control all these issues should be strengthened to make it effective.
“The MEA should work in close coordination with the MHA and the state governments concerned to address the issue of illegal migration by monitoring the demographic changes taking place in the Indo-Bangladesh border villages and other parts of the country due to such migration and take up the issue of repatriation of such illegal migrants with the government of Bangladesh at the highest level for an early resolution,” it said.
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km border. There are established bilateral mechanisms such as the Joint Boundary Working Group and Joint Boundary Conference held at regular intervals to discuss border-related issues.
The Committee also found that Bangladesh being India’s largest development partner, concessional credits amounting to almost $10 billion have been extended to them. This includes lines of credit (LOCs) worth $7.862 billion (Rs 59,000 crore), comprising about 25% of India’s entire LOC portfolio.
Three LOCs cover 42 projects across a wide range of sectors. There is a separate LOC of $500 million dedicated only to defence-related projects.
“Out of the 42 projects covered under the three LOCs, 14 projects have been completed. Eight projects are currently under execution, seven are under tendering, and 13 are under preparation,” the Committee stated in its report.
In addition to the LOCs, India has been providing grant assistance to Bangladesh for various infrastructure projects, including the Akhaura-Agartala rail link, the dredging of inland waterways, and the construction of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline for the supply of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh.
“In all, 74 high-impact community development projects, including the construction of student hostels, academic buildings, skill development and training institutes, cultural centres, orphanages as well as various heritage restoration projects have also been funded by India,” the report stated.
Chaudhary was a Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Law and Justice, and Corporate Affairs. As a minister, he undertook a drive to strike off names of 2.5 lakh non-compliant shell companies and was credited with bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas, promoting optical fibre connection to 1 lakh gram panchayats, and bringing Wi-Fi hotspots to all villages.
Queen Oja from Assam and Rebati Tripura of Tripura, both belonging to the Lok Sabha from BJP, are members of the Committee.