By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma on Friday said that the State Government has no materials to prove the presence of Bangladeshi infiltrators in Meghalaya.
In reply to a question raised by Independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri during question hour, the Chief Minister said, “No material is available with the Government which would confirm the presence of such infiltrators in the State.”
However, he informed that the Government had made efforts to detect the infiltrators and deport them as per law.
He informed that a total of 12,321 infiltrators have been detected in Meghalaya since 2008 till July this year.
Dr Sangma said strict vigilance is being maintained in the international borders to prevent infiltration.
Chaudhuri asked the State Government if it has any intention to give legal sanction to the efforts of the NGOs in apprehending the illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Chaudhuri also wondered as to why the Government has not taken any steps to find out the antecedents of the illegal migrants detected by the NGOs.
“We always read media reports about NGOs apprehending Bangladeshi nationals who manage to enter into the State. It is sad to see that the NGOs are doing this job which is supposed to be carried out either by the police or infiltration wing of the police department,” Chaudhuri said.
However, the Chief Minister replied that the Directorate of Infiltration to be set up in the State will co-ordinate with various agencies.
Even though the Chief Minister was silent on the proposal of providing legal sanction to the effort of the NGOs in detecting the illegal migrants, he shared details on the floor of the House on the number of illegal migrants who have been detected, deported or sent back in the past four years.
The State Unit of the BJP has said that the Central Government’s approach on infiltration has been wholly disappointing. In a statement issued here on Friday, BJP Meghalaya general secretary Dipayan Chakraborty said the Congress party has to change its policy while adding that it does not have to import illegal immigrants to increase its vote bank.
The BJP also asserted that the State Chief Minister is not at all serious on the issue of influx as he has no mechanism to control influx.
Chakraborty also stated that the international border between Bangladesh and Meghalaya has remained unfenced leading to increase in influx.
