Illegal migrants issue echoes in Arunachal House

ITANAGAR, Oct 3 – At a time when the movement against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants was at its peak in the Northeastern region, especially neighbouring Assam, the call for making Arunachal Pradesh free from illegal migrants has reverberated in the State Assembly recently with the members urging the government to work out “certain mechanisms” to protect the Arunachalees’ interests.

Replying to the discussion initiated by NCP’s Bamang Felix, who brought in a private member’s resolution, Chief Minister Nabam Tuki told the House that as per directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the State Government has set up Special Task Force in each district of Arunachal Pradesh to detect foreign nationals and deport them from the State.

Apart from setting up of detection centres in all districts with devolution of power and functions on respective deputy commissioners, the Chief Minister said that nodal officers have been appointed to monitor illegal nationals and for sending report to the MHA.”

Tuki, however, denied that there was large-scale influx in Arunachal, even though the problem of illegal migrants was ‘alarming’ in Assam.

He said that besides ownership of land, the Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, 1873 (according to which possession of ILP, by non-Arunachalees is must for entering the hill State) was sufficient to safeguard the interests of indigenous people.

While requesting the member to withdraw the resolution, the Chief Minister assured the house that his government will form a high level committee to see whether ILP system was sufficient to protect the Arunachalee’s interests.

Earlier, Felix, in private member’s resolution said that the unabated influx and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh posed a serious threat to the demography of North East, including that of Arunachal Pradesh and its indigenous people. “With the social fight against illegal immigrants getting politicised and communalised in Assam, it is the right time that we in Arunachal Pradesh wake up before it is too late,” he said.

Congress MLA Passang Dorjee Sona, AITC member Laeta Umbrey, and NCP’s Ralom Borang also participated in the discussion.