Dispur moves Centre over 200 Additional Foreigners Tribunals

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: As the State government is still “confused” about “the works” of the 221 newly appointed FT (Foreigners Tribunal) Members, the authorities concerned have taken up the matter with the Union Home Ministry.

Sources informed that the Home & Political Department in a letter to the MHA had sought Centre’s opinion as to whether the newly appointed FT Members could be allotted some of the pending cases with the existing 100 FTs till the NRC (National Register of Citizens) authority issues the rejection letters to the persons whose names were left out from the final NRC. The final NRC was published on August 31, 2019.

Approximately 1.50 lakh cases are still pending in the existing 100 FTs.

Before publication of the final NRC, the MHA had approved “in principle” to set up 1,000 Additional FTs in a phased manner for disposing the cases of persons found ineligible for the final NRC. In the first phase, the Centre gave its nod for the establishment of 400 Additional FTs; of which 200 were to be set up initially. The remaining 200 Additional FTs were to be established in a subsequent phase.

On September 11, 2019, the Home and Political Department appointed 221 members for a year-long term. They were meant for the 200 new additional FTs as well as for the 21 vacant posts in the already existing 100 FTs. In its notification, the H&P Department also mentioned that the places of posting of the newly appointed Additional FT members would be made through a separate notification.

However, since the NRC authorities have not issued any rejection letters even after the lapse of more than five months since the publication of the final NRC, Dispur has not been able to allot any work to these newly appointed FT Members. On the other hand, these Members have been drawing regular salaries since the date of their appointments. It is against this backdrop, that Dispur has sought Centre’s permission to make the 200 Additional FTs functional.

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