Paradip: Arrest of two Bangladeshi nationals from Musadia slum here has sent alarm bells ringing at the port town in Jagatsinghpur district which is home to several important chemical installations.
Khokan Sheik was arrested March 17 while Suman Haldar was held March 27 by the crime branch. The latter admitted he came to Paradip a fortnight back through the water route. The two, who stayed in the slum as refugees, were produced in court on charge of violating immigration law of the country.
Reports suggest that over a thousand such Bangladeshis still live in slums in the garb of refugees encroaching upon acres of government land close to the river and sea.
An official survey in 2005 revealed about 300 Bangladeshis were identified in Paradip municipality while 423 were spotted in Erasama area. In all, 1,112 Bangla nationals were identified in the district and they were to be deported to their country.
However, that mission remained incomplete. Moreover, relatives of these people followed them through the sea route and occupied huge swaths of government land, a report said.
On the other hand, two major industries – IFFCO Fertilizer and Essar Steel – are located within a radius of 50 mt of Musadia slum on the bank of river Mahanadi. IFFCO alone has stockpiled lakhs of tonnes of ammonia, sulphuric and phosphoric acid around the plant.
However, the tanks containing these lethal chemicals, are being manned by a few private security guards. Any harm to these storage tanks might lead to a disaster in at least 50 km radius of the region.
Though the looming threat had been highlighted time and again, political parties choose to remain tight-lipped.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants at an election rally in Paradip in 2014. However, the issue is yet to be addressed even as one-and-half-years have passed since his party has been at helm.
Nuagarh sarpanch in July last year had submitted a memo to the collector for identification of Bangladeshis in Musadia slum and their eventual deportation. However, the administration is yet to act upon this.
Infiltration has increased in recent years even as marine police have adopted an indifferent attitude to plug the porous coastline, locals alleged. Though joint military exercises are carried out at least twice a year on the coastline, they have failed to thwart the process of massive intrusion of Bangladeshis.
PNN
