SILCHAR, June 6 � The influx of Bangladeshis into India continues unabated, raising serious concerns and questions.
Even as the Government makes available funds to ensure security on the border, doubts have been raised on their judicious utilisation. The recent instances of Bangladeshis getting nabbed by BSF officials is a pointer to the fact that influx is rampant in the Barak Valley.
The Bangladeshi nationals, nabbed in the Indian territory, claimed that they had come in search of jobs in the coal fields of Meghalaya. According to official statistics, on May 19, 2011, four Bangladeshis were nabbed by the villagers of Natanpur and Katigorah in Cachar district. On January 18 this year, Aslam Khan (30), a resident of Brahmanbariyar in Bangladesh, was caught when he came for his passport verification at the SP office here.
On May 9, Nurul Amin (33) was nabbed by the Army while he was trying to sneak into the Masimpur Army camp.
Official figures from the Union Home Ministry show that in 2009, 43,426 Bangladeshi nationals had legally entered India. But even after the expiry of their visas, 32,644 among them did not go back. Of the 34,957 Bangladeshis who came to India in 2010, 24,667 stayed back and in 2011, 28,035 came to India and 22,274 are yet to leave the country.
At a time when the BJP-led Central Government has clearly spelt out its mission to detect and deport the Bangladeshi infiltrators from India, Shipra Goon, secretary of BJP�s Mahila Morcha, has questioned the intent of the State Government. Goon alleged that only because of securing its vote bank, the State Government is not willing to solve the infiltration issue. She said that a letter would be sent to the Central Government soon, demanding a permanent solution to the vexed problem.
Goon informed that the Union Government has initiated a scheme to curb the rampant influx and other anti-social activities along the India-Bangladesh border in 2012. As a part of the scheme, 383 new Border Observatory Posts are to be set up, which is likely to end by 2014.
On the installation of floodlights, Goon said a 2,840-km area is to be covered by floodlights along the border. But though the work is in progress, it is tardy. Goon said that the State Government has failed to check anti-social activities along the Cachar-Karimganj border. Jabainpur, a village near the international border in Karimganj, is presently submerged, Goon said.
In 2011, BSF IG Sanjay Singh told reporters that the Centre has taken an initiative to improve 46 BOPs under the Silchar sector. A sum of Rs 96 crore was sanctioned for installation of a composite BOP at Kalainchorra. The BSF had seized illegal items from the Cachar-Mizoram and Manipur border worth Rs 1.33 lakh in 2010-11. The IG had also informed that fencing of 46 km out of 128 km would be completed. Moreover, Rs 18.31 crore was estimated for fencing work on a 3.5 km area along Steamerghat in Karimganj district. However, fencing work on a 1.1 km area at Malegarh near the Latu BOP has been completed.
Goon said that in the capacity of the BJP Mahila Morcha president, Smriti Irani made a report on the illegal trespassing and anti-social activities along the border and sent it to the Government for action, but the report was not responded to with any positive action. Irani, who is now the HRD Minister, would be updated on the situation and the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be sought, Goon said.
