Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 13: For proper facilitation of a high-level committee set up on demographic changes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today chaired a meeting of the top MHA officials in which it was decided that the Home Ministry will provide logistical and other necessary support for proper functioning of the Panel.
Jammu and Kashmir is among the border States where there have been allegations of serious demographic change being leveled quite often by none other than the BJP, which is in power at the Centre. The demographic changes have also been witnessed in the border areas of Jammu, mainly Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts which share international boundary with Pakistan.
"This has posed the serious threat as there have been reports that some of the illegally settled people may have been facilitating the terrorists to reach safer areas after infiltration from the International Border,'' the officials said, adding investigations in some cases had confirmed their doubts.
The Committee, headed by Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, will study demographic changes, especially in border belts and will also visit metropolitan areas and industrial towns for assessment.
As per the officials, the first meeting of the committee has already been convened and the agenda has been formulated The MHA will be extending logistical and other necessary support for proper functioning of the committee, they said.
Shah in the meeting held in New Delhi today directed the committee to study the shift in population structure in border districts by visiting the border areas, metro cities etc to assess demographic changes because of illegal migration and other unnatural causes.
The Committee has been asked to suggest measures to address the challenge of demographic changes.
Headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, the Committee includes the Census Commissioner, along with retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, ex-IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and Dr Shamika Ravi as members and the Joint Secretary (Foreigners-l), Ministry of Home Affairs, as the Member Secretary.
The Home Minister had announced formation of the committee last month.
“The demographic change is a serious issue linked not only to the country's sovereignty but also to national security, law and order, profound changes in social structure and the preservation of tribal society,” Shah had stated while announcing formation of the Committee.
He had said that the Committee will conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other unnatural causes, analyse patterns of abnormal population shifts at the levels of religious and social communities, and present a planned and time-bound solution for the same.
According to the Terms of Reference of the committee, it will comprehensively deliberate upon the challenges arising from demographic changes, including illegal immigration. It will also study the possible causes of demographic changes, such as cross-border activities (including illegal immigration), economic opportunities, and other socio-environmental factors.
The BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit has quite often alleged demographic changes in Jammu region with illegal settlement of Rohingyas at some places including outskirts of Jammu City. Earlier, a drive was also launched on Rohingya settlements by disconnecting their water and power supply which was, however, subsequently restored. Police had also registered few FIRs against the people who had rented out their plots to Rohingyas.
Some of the Rohingyas were lodged at the Holding Centre at Hiranagar in Kathua district.
