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KOHIMA — Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton on Thursday assured that the state is "well-prepared" and will take all steps to deal with “unnatural movement of immigrants” arising from the recent crisis in Bangladesh, if there is any report of such movement in Nagaland.
He made the remark during the assembly proceedings on Thursday after NPF MLA Achumbemo Kikon raised the matter during 'zero hour,' seeking to know measures taken by the state government to address the issue while saying that the north-eastern states are "most vulnerable" to inflow of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Nagaland does not directly share border with Bangladesh and illegal immigrants would likely come through neighbouring state of Assam as eight of its districts share borders with Nagaland.
West Bengal and three other north-eastern states -- Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya -- also shared borders with Bangladesh.
Till date, there has been no report of "illegal Bangladeshi migrants" entering the state but that does not mean government will let its guard down, said Patton.
Allaying people's fear, he assured that the state government is aware of the possible impact of any unnatural inflow of immigrants in the wake of the crisis in the neighbouring country, and is closely monitoring the situation.
With the help of robust village administration, civil society organisations, the state is well-prepared to deal with any situation that may arise, he said.
Highlighting the measures taken to tackle illegal immigration, the deputy CM said that Nagaland Police have been directed to be on a "high alert" all along the inter-state borders.
Intensified checking has been initiated at all the 13 inter-state check gates and police officers deployed at these gates and other ingress points have been instructed to be vigilant round the clock, Patton told the house.
The police will also prevent any attempt at infiltration during the mobile vehicle check posts.
In addition, the police and intelligence agencies have identified areas such as places of religious worship where there is a possibility of presence of illegal immigrants.
This will help isolate any unnatural increase and help state government take the necessary steps, he added.
Further, the deputy commissioners have been directed to intensify Inner Line Permit (ILP) checking along with the police and to submit regular reports on such checking.
They have also been directed to closely monitor all inter-state check posts and to disseminate necessary circular and information to all village councils within their respective districts, especially those villages along the inter-state/inter-district boundaries, Patton said.
"Intelligence reports are that it is highly unlikely that our state will witness any influx of immigrants from Bangladesh. The most affected section of people in the present crisis, it is argued does not have a sizeable presence in Nagaland. Additionally, the economic structure of our state is not attuned to the economic needs of the potential immigrants," he maintained.
The District Level Security Co-ordination Committee including the DCs, superintendent/commissioner of police and other security agencies like DIB (district intelligence branch), Assam Rifles and Central Armed Police Forces, have also discussed the issue at length, he informed.
"Adequate measures, which are specific to each district, have been initiated to check and report presence of any illegal migrants from Bangladesh," he added.
NDPP legislator KT Sukhalu also raised concern on the porous border the state share with Assam. While the state may not face immediate threat, he asked as to where the immigrants will go from Assam.
Sharing his personal experience when he was a magistrate, Sukhalu said he rejected a lot of illegal immigrants whose names were included in the list of electoral summary revision, for failing to submit valid documents proving they are Indian citizens.