GUWAHATI, June 19 - The home department has identified ten places for setting up new detention centres for illegal foreigners in the State, including one in Guwahati. The estimated cost of the project has been pegged at around Rs 470 crore.
The proposal has now been sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for its approval, official sources told The Assam Tribune.
The places where these new detention centres will come up are Sivasagar, Nagaon, Karimganj, Nalbari, North Lakhimpur, Haflong, Guwahati, Barpeta, Goalpara and Tezpur.
Sources informed that each detention centre would be able to house more than 3,000 declared foreigners at a time.
�The detailed project report was prepared by the Assam Police Border Organisation and since the estimated cost of establishing one centre is Rs 47 crore (approx.), the aggregate expenses would be somewhere around Rs 470 crore. However, as per the rate revision of the public works department, the cost may vary,� sources stated.
Sources at the Assam Police headquarters here, meanwhile, said that technically there is no full-fledged detention centre in the State.
�All the existing six detention centres where the declared foreigners are currently lodged are actually parts of the jails. The first full-fledged detention centre was approved last year in Goalpara, the construction work of which is going on,� sources said, adding that the need for detention camps has been necessitated keeping in view the publication of the final list of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC), due on July 31 this year.
The six existing detention centres are currently housing around 1,100 inmates, including declared and convicted foreigners.
Sources further informed that the government is also working on setting up 200 foreigners tribunals in the first phase as part of its initiative to have 1,000 new tribunals in the State.
�The tribunals would be set up in a phased manner and there is a likelihood that the first 200 tribunals will be set up across 10 districts where the new detention centres will come up. However, there is no official confirmation on the matter as yet,� sources said.
