SC seeks report on Bangladeshi migrants

Author: PTI
Publication: The Times of India
Date: February 12, 2004
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/492493.cms

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre and States of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura to submit within four weeks status reports about steps taken by them to identify and stop illegal Bangladeshi migrants even as it was admitted that there are at present more than 1.5 crore migrants in India.
 
A Bench comprising Justice S Rajendra Babu, Justice A R Lakshmanan and Justice G P Mathur gave this direction on a PIL filed by All India Lawyers Forum for Civil Liberties (AILFCL) through counsel O P Saxena seeking identification and deportation of illegal migrants.
 
Appearing for the government of West Bengal, senior advocate K K Venugopal said that there was delay in the fencing of the border due to lack of funds and the same has resumed after the Central government sanctioned funds.
 
The government said that 507 kilometres of border fencing at a distance of 150 yards from the zero line as approved by the Centre in the first phase had been completed.
 
"In the second phase, out of 1021 kilometres fencing approved by the Centre, work has been completed on 137.72 kilometres," it said.
 
Meanwhile, the Court decided to hear with the PIL other petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Illegal Migrants Detection (through Tribunal) (IMDT) Act.
 

Back                          Top