NRC authority to avail SC relaxation?

Apex Court may fix publication date on July 2

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 27: It is almost final that the complete draft NRC is not going to be published on June 30, 2018 because of floods, especially in the Barak Valley districts. Though the Supreme Court of India had fixed June 30, 2018 as the date for publication of the complete draft NRC, yet it did give some relaxation to the NRC authority on time-lines in an order issued by it on May 8.

In its order issued on May 8, the Supreme Court of India said: “We take note of the fact that the learned State Coordinator is optimistic of completion of the entire process of final publication of NRC within the stipulated time, subject to limited change of time-lines, if required.”

The question that arises now is: if the complete draft NRC is not published on June 30, 2018, when will it be published? With the apex court going to hear the case relating to NRC on July 2, 2018, it, in all likelihood, is going to fix the date of publication of the complete draft NRC on that day.

Meanwhile, NRC works have been resumed in the Barak Valley where such works were stalled for eight to ten days because of floods. While a number of NRC seva kendras were under water, some of the seva kendras had to be shifted to other places in the valley. The dates for hearing of NRC application have been rescheduled in the valley. Hearing is going on there now. In other districts in the State, data entry for the complete NRC draft is going on.

Meanwhile, the State NRC authority has twitted that it will update the date for publication of complete draft NRC in due course of time.

Now the ball is in the court of the apex court. All eyes are on the new date to be fixed by the Supreme Court of India for the publication of the complete draft NRC.