By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 4: The Centre has assured the state government that immigration or movement of people from trouble-torn Bangladesh will not be allowed through the borders of Meghalaya.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured him through a letter and in face-to-face meeting that the entry of any person from Bangladesh without travel documents will not be allowed.
“One or two incidents may happen but we are not going to see large-scale immigration or movement of people from Bangladesh,” he said on Wednesday.
“We are hopeful about the situation (in Bangladesh) improving. It is still tense but slightly more stable compared to what it was initially. The border trade is also normalising. These are good signs. I don’t expect any major challenges in the coming days but we should be alert, careful,” he added.
The statement gains significance as various pressure groups in the State have been raising concerns about a possible influx and petitioned the Centre to ensure that not a single Bangladesh national is granted asylum or rehabilitated in the North East.
Sangma said he is scheduled to attend the GST Council in Delhi on September 9. “I will also meet the Home Minister to stress the need for strengthening, re-sanctioning, and reallotting more projects for the border area development. We have finalised a memorandum,” he said. “It is not just about sealing ten borders, it is also about strengthening our border infrastructure and overall facilities for the people living in the border areas. We need to do a bit more than what we did in the past, keeping the fluid situation in mind,” he added.
The Chief Minister admitted there are issues at the unfenced stretches of the border totalling more than 50 km. “We are aware of it. When the (Bangladesh) unrest started, we had a series of meetings with the BSF, the Army, and the Meghalaya Police to focus on border points 1,250 to 1,350, a critical stretch without any fencing,” he said.
“We are moving toward a solution by getting the locals on board and convincing everyone that we need to complete the fencing in the unfenced areas for their safety and security,” he said.
