Question : BANGLADESHI MIGRANTS

(a) whether the Government have recently admitted that the migrants from Bangladesh are posing threat to the various security establishments in the country as reported in the Hindustan Times dated November 7, 2003;

(b) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;

(c) the exact number of Bangladeshi migrants residing in various parts of the country, State-wise;

(d) whether Bangladeshi citizens in the country have obtained documents like ration cards, passports, voter cards etc;

(e) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;

(f) whether the steps taken by the Union Government to flush out such migrants remain ineffective;

(g) if so, the reasons therefor; and

(h) the concrete plans drawn to flush out such illegal immigrants from the country?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (SHRI HARIN PATHAK )

(a) to (h): A statement is laid on the table of the house.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN PARTS (a) TO (h) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 10 BY COL. (RETD.) SONA RAM CHOUDHARY AND SHRIMATI PRABHA RAU.

(a): The Government admit the presence of large number of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the country. Security related issues due to presence of Bangladeshi illegal immigrants was discussed in Directors General/Inspectors General Conference held between 4th –6th, November, 2003.

(b): Government is taking all possible steps to tackle the problems of illegal Bangladeshi migrants and State Governments have been sensitized to launch special drives to detect and deport them.

(c): The presence of large number of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the various parts of the country has been reported. But exact number of such persons has not been compiled, as they do not enter with travel documents.

(d) & (e): There are reports that some of the illegal Bangladeshi migrants managed to obtain documents, like, ration cards, passports and voter identity cards etc. State Governments have been requested to launch special drives to detect such illegal Bangladeshis and also to cancel the documents obtained by them.

(f) & (g): Effective steps are being taken by Government to flush out such immigrants but the process of detection and deportation is slow due to ethnic and language similarity and non-cooperation by the Government of Bangladesh to take back their nationals.

(h): The efforts to detect and deport illegal Bangladeshi migrants back to their country have been intensified.

The powers under Section 3(2) (C) of the Foreigners Act, 1946 to detect and deport foreign nationals staying in India unauthorisedly have been entrusted to the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations who have been asked to launch special drives to detect and deport illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

The matter was also discussed in the conference of Chief Ministers held in February 2003 and they were sensitized on the need to take effective and sustained action in this regard. Besides the matter has also been taken up diplomatically with the Government of Bangladesh at various levels.