GUWAHATI, Aug 24 - Infiltration from Bangladesh has come down considerably since the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) gained momentum in Assam. This is the analysis of the security agencies working on the ground.
Meanwhile, though adequate precautionary measures have been taken to prevent any untoward incident following the publication of the final NRC on August 31, so far, there is no hard intelligence input about any group or organisation that would try to create disturbance.
Following the update of the NRC, the message has gone across the international border that Assam is no longer a safe destination and that is one of the reasons why the rate of infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals has come down in recent times, highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune.
Sources said the improvement of Bangladesh economy and relations between the two countries can also be attributed to the recent phenomenon.
On its part, the Government of India has also been able to send a message across that it is serious on dealing with the problem of infiltration and in the recent meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also raised the issue of deportation of Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in India.
Sources said that launching of the smart fencing project to protect the riverine international borders is also a positive development.
The riverine international borders in Dhubri and Karimganj districts are considered most vulnerable to infiltration and smuggling, and as it is not feasible to put up physical barriers, the government decided to use modern technology to plug these border stretches and the smart fencing project is a part of the scheme. However, it will take some time to complete the smart fencing project in the entire riverine stretch of the international border.
Sources also pointed out that improvement of economy of Bangladesh is vital for protection of India�s interests as most of the Bangladeshi nationals, who entered India illegally, came because of economic reasons. If the economy of Bangladesh grows, the urge of people of that country to take the risk of entering India illegally will come down drastically. �We are already witnessing such signs with the improvement of the economic condition in Bangladesh as the flow of Bangladeshi nationals to India is slowing down,� sources pointed out.
Sources added that the possibility of some suspected foreigners migrating to other parts of India following the NRC update process cannot be ruled out. But no large scale migration has yet been noticed. �People, particularly the labourers, migrate from one state to another regularly. The construction workers also migrate to states where the construction activities are going on at a faster pace. But the security agencies have not witnessed any large scale migration from Assam in recent times,� sources pointed out.
