Odisha begins drive to cancel ration cards illegally held by foreigners
Bhubaneswar: Following the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, including one from Odisha, the state government has decided to cancel ration cards illegally issued to foreign nationals over the years, officials said Monday.
Speaking to reporters, state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister KC Patra said all district collectors have been instructed to immediately revoke ration cards issued to Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Burmese nationals residing in the state.
“We have tightened our stance after the terror attack. Foreign nationals staying across the state must not avail the benefits meant for Indian citizens,” Patra said.
The Minister said that ration cards illegally issued to foreign nationals over the years must be cancelled immediately.
Patra said the foreign nationals mostly stay in Balasore, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts located along the state’s coastal belt.
He asserted that the administration would soon identify the foreigners availing the benefits.
Apart from 11 Pakistanis, the state government has so far identified 3,738 Bangladeshis staying illegally in the state.
However, the government has no data on the number of Burmese people in the state, home department sources said.
Replying to a question in the Assembly last month, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who is also in-charge of the home department, said the state has identified 3,738 infiltrators living illegally in the state.
The highest number of 1,649 Bangladeshis is in Kendrapara district, followed by 1,112 in Jagatsinghpur, 655 in Malkangiri and 106 in Nabarangapur.
Meanwhile, DGP YB Khurania, during a tour to Rourkela, told reporters that a Pakistani citizen has so far left the state, though deportation notices were served to 12 such persons.
Asked about the fate of others who have been staying in the state for more than 30 years and have families, Khurania said, “We are waiting for the next instruction from the Ministry of Home Affairs. There are some people who have Long-Term Visas (LTV) and some awaiting the renewal of their LTVs. The state will act according to MHA instructions.”
State Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan added that while the state has informed the Centre about the situation, the final decision lies with the MHA.
“We have no role in this. The Centre will decide on the next course of action,” he added.
State Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik said the state government has already started identifying Bangladeshis at the gram panchayat level.
“Verification and identification of foreign nationals will be completed soon,” Naik said.
The 48-hour deadline issued to the 12 Pakistani nationals ended Monday.
Only one woman, Nagma Yusuf, who was living in Bhubaneswar’s BJB Nagar — has so far left.
Nagma, who married an Indian citizen in 2008, had her LTV renewal applications rejected recently.
Nagma who had applied for an exit permit with the foreigners’ registration office here a few days before the expiry of the visitor visa in February was approved Saturday, Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said.
While Nagma left the state, 53-year-old Pakistan-born Sharada Kukreja, who has been living in Bolangir district for 35 years after marrying an Indian citizen, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Mohan Charan Majhi not to separate her from her family.
Sharada, who was born in Sukkur city in Pakistan’s Sindh province, fled to India in 1987 to escape forced conversion and marriage to a Muslim youth there.
She is married to Mahesh Kumar Kukreja and has two children – a son and a daughter – both of whom are married.
Similarly, 72-year-old Razia Sultana of Soro in Balasore district has also received a deportation notice.
Her family claimed that the notice was a serious error since she was born in Kolkata in 1953.
Razia’s family claimed she holds an Aadhaar card, voter ID, PAN card, and residence certificate.
She has never visited Pakistan and holds no Pakistani documents or visa, her daughter Salma Parbin said.
PTI
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