Mizoram govt to be tough on illegal settlers

Aizwal, Oct 29 (UNI) The Mizoram government has initiated a move to step up drive to identify and deport Myanmarese and Bangladeshi infiltrators from tribal areas of the state.

Chief secretary Haukhum Hauzel informed that a new state monitoring committee had been setup to check infiltration in acccordance with the Union Home Ministry's instructions, which will do everything to check illegal migrants crossing the border.

He, however, stated that the government was concerned about those, who had already sneaked into the country.

The state monitoring committee will set up a special task force of policemen in all the districts bodering Bangladesh and Myanmar and they will work along with the BSF personnel deployed at strategic points, Mr Hauzel said adding that these committee officials would send reports, which would be redirected to the Centre.

'' We have already asked our Liaison Officer in Silchar (Asom) to be more careful in issuing inner line permits. We have also requested the Deputy Commissioner office to avoid any possible entry of illegal immigants, '' he pointed out.

Mr Hauzel said the new Labour laws under the twin acts will make registration of non-Mizo labourers, working as construction workers and domestic helps, mandatory, adding validity of the work permit would depend on the specified period of their stay in the state as mentioned in the inner-line permit.

Besides, the Additional Secretary of the Union Home Ministry (Border Management) R R Sirohi recently visited Mizoram for an on-the-spot inspection of the international border and asked the Mizoram government to start work on border fencing in a phased manner.

According to the intelligence sources, while the number of illegal Burmese Mizos inhabiting Mizoram had been estimated at 70,000, it also suspected that over 40,000 unauthorised non-Mizos, a majority of them Bangladeshis, had managed to settle in the remote parts of the state.

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