[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-119

[Taha Mehmood]

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=may2609/at02

		Guwahati, Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Govt to start from scratch to resolve influx problem: PC
Spl Correspondent
 NEW DELHI, May 25 – Asserting that the Centre has to start from
scratch to resolve the problem of illegal influx, Union Home Minister,
P Chidambaram today outlined forth a slew of measures to tackle the
menace of infiltration from across the border. Addressing his maiden
press conference after assuming office, the Union Home Minister said,
any one who has visited the Indo-Bangladesh border would realise that
it is not possible to seal the land and riverine border. “I don’t
think sealing is the right answer,” he opined.

Chidambaram’s response to the resolution of the vexed influx problem
came on a day, when Assam Public Works (APW) filed a Civil Writ
Petition in the Supreme Court pleading for removal of all illegal
voters from the Electoral rolls of 2008 and holding of next Assembly
poll in 2011 on the basis of the ‘correct voter’s list’.

The fate of Assam Government’s recommendation for finalisation of the
modalities for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is,
however, uncertain, with Chidambaram stating that he was not aware
about it.

“We are coming out with National Population Register, which will be
ready by 2011. The multi-purpose identity cards would be issued on the
basis of the NPR, he added.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Minister said the Government of India would
continue to do all it can to speed up the fencing of the border. “Our
preparations, notwithstanding, there will be some allegations of
failure to detect them,” he observed.

Interestingly, when asked about the demographic changes taking place,
Chidambaram said that the changes were nothing new. But every attempt
to frame a law to deal with detection and deportation has floundered,
he rued.

“We need to start from the scratch,” he said.

The obvious reference was to the repeal of the IM (DT) Act and later
attempts by the UPA Government to amend the Foreigners’ Order, which
too was thrown out by the Supreme Court.

Chidambaram said that there was a need for complete re-think on
detection and deportation.

Meanwhile, the APW in its petition has called for directions from the
Supreme Court to Government of India and Assam and Election Commission
of India to identify and delete names of illegal voters from the
latest voter’s list of Assam and to freeze the Voter’s list and stop
election until it is updated and implemented.

The APW has suggested that in order to regularise the March 25, 1971
Bangladeshis along with their lineage and to detect the post 1971
migrants as foreigners and their names deleted from the D Category of
the List, in substitution of the modalities being proposed by the
Government to up date the NRC, 1951.

The petitioner also called for freezing of the 2006 voter’s list till
the names of all illegal voters are removed from the rolls.