Meghalaya facing problem of influx: Sangma

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Wednesday expressed concern over the influx of people with "doubtful citizenship" in Meghalaya.

"Meghalaya has been facing the problem of influx of people with doubtful citizenship from the neighbouring states of Assam, Tripura and West Bengal," Sangma said at the conference of Chief Ministers on internal security here.

Stressing that the influx poses a threat to the demographic structure of the state, Sangma said the state government has created an anti-infiltration directorate to tackle the burgeoning influx problem more effectively.

"We have sanctioned 117 posts in the first phase and we are in the process of filling up the sanctioned posts. Another 206 posts will be sanctioned in the second phase in due course. In addition, district level teams and special police squads have also been constituted," the chief minister said.

Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, hilly and unfenced, and is prone to frequent infiltration.

However, Sangma said that Meghalaya has only 265 sanctioned posts of police officers and other staff under the Prevention of Infiltration (PIF) scheme, and that about 125 Border Security Force border outposts to check illegal infiltration from across the border with Bangladesh.

"Considering the length of the international border, the existing number of posts under the PIF scheme is highly inadequate to deal effectively with the illegal influx of foreign nationals," he said.