Manipur Assembly forms 12-member committee to study illegal migration in the state

Imphal, Aug 8 (IANS) The Manipur Assembly has constituted a 12-member committee comprising Ministers and MLAs of both ruling and opposition parties to study illegal migration in the state. The committee, headed by Water Resources, and Relief, Disaster Management Minister Awangbow Newmai, who is a Naga People’s Front (NPF) MLA, would submit its report within three months.The committee members include Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister Letpao Haokip, who, along with nine other tribal MLAs, have been boycotting the Assembly session since the ethnic violence broke out in May last year, Public Health Engineering Minister L. Susindro Meitei, Education, Law, and Legislative Affair Minister Basanta Kumar, Hill Areas Committee Chairman Dinganglung Gangmei, and Ibomcha Singh (all BJP), K. Meghachandra Singh, Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh, Surjakumar Okram (all Congress), Md. Abdul Nasir (Janata Dal-United), Keishing Leishiyo (NPF), and Shanti Singh of the National People’s Party (NPP).Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also holds the home portfolio, told the house that 10,675 illegal immigrants were detected in the state in the last five years. He stated that earlier a committee had been constituted to conduct a verification and identification of illegal Myanmar immigrants in Churachandpur, Chandel, Tengnoupal, Kamjong, and Pherzawl districts.”Before the ethnic violence broke out on May 3 last year, the Committee detected 2,480 illegal Myanmar immigrants. The Central government has announced that the India-Myanmar Border would be fenced completely. Border fencing work has already started and given importance. A total length of 9.214 km of border fencing has already been completed,” he said.–IANSsc/vd