The chain of events in South West Khasi Hills where illegal migrants from Bangladesh did not just cross the border but even turned violent with the locals there shows that things have reached a dangerous turn. In the 443 km long border between Meghalaya and Bangladesh large stretches are unfenced and the rivers form the boundary between the two countries. Wherever there are fences these are broken down by smugglers since informal trade continues to thrive right under the nose of the border guards. The fact that on both sides of the border there are hundreds of cattle grazing should tell its own story. It means cattle heads are smuggled in the cover of night from the Indian side to the Bangladesh side. This is because Meghalaya, which could have had a thriving meat processing industry for export, has not engaged in this business. Bangladesh on the contrary has done it. Cross-border smuggling has gone on for decades and people on both sides are interdependent on that trade. Fish, vegetables, processed fruit juices and Chinese goods come from Bangladesh while truckloads of sugar, onions, fruits, betel nuts and betel leaf regularly go from the Indian side. Attempts to police this informal trade have failed for several reasons, one being the human tendency for corruption.
Now that things have reached boiling point in Bangladesh and there are no signs of the violence abating nor of the economy picking up steam, people are desperate. The reason they cross over to the Meghalaya side and then proceed to other states where they can be employed as labourers is because they are in dire straits. The labour market laps up cheap labour that can be exploited to the hilt. Infrastructure creation requires a huge workforce and India at the moment is pushing towards bridge-building, road making and other projects across the states. In India’s North East alone there are several key highway projects that are under construction and require a dedicated labour force.
The need for strong protective measures to prevent illegal migration cannot be over-emphasized as the scarce state resources meant for a domestic population cannot be allowed to leak to illegal migrants. These include services provided by the Public Distribution System among others. The fact that illegal migrants are quick at producing Aadhar and even the voters’ ID card is a grim reminder that corruption has seeped into all sections of our polity. Yet this daily flood of immigrants who then very astutely become part of the local populace is a very troubling affair for states bordering Bangladesh. Tripura has often been cited as a classic case of indigenous Tripuris being reduced to a minority in their homeland. Assam is trying to purge out the Miya Muslims (Bengali speaking Muslims) because they have encroached into forest lands when they have already overrun the ‘char’ (river banks) areas. Preventing people from crossing borders is the toughest challenge as can be seen today. Better strategies to secure borders are imperative.
