NRC: Orientation programme for 221 new members of foreigners' tribunals

GUWAHATI: Assam home department on Saturday kickstarted a two-day 'orientation programme' to train 221 newly recruited members of the 200 new foreigners' Tribunals set up in the state to hear the appeals of the 19 lakh persons left out in the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The tribunals are expected to be functional from next month and the 221 new members have been selected by the high court.

These new members comprise retired judicial officers, advocates and retired civil servants. The training is taking place at the Assam Administrative Staff College at Khanapara here.

Addressing the inaugural session of the programme, Justice Arup Kumar Goswami, Chief Justice (Acting) of the Gauhati high court, stated that the new members of the foreigners' tribunals have been entrusted with an important task and called upon them to execute their duties with full devotion and dedication. Justice Goswami also asked the members to investigation the claims and objections with utmost care.

State additional chief secretary (home and political department) Kumar Sanjay Krishna, while explaining the importance of the role of the tribunal members in the context of NRC and its subsequent phases, said the new 200 foreigners' tribunals will start functioning shortly and another 200 will follow soon.

The additional chief secretary said the possible problems of the claimants of far-flung areas have been considered in establishing these tribunals. He also deliberated on the importance of the newly-established electronic foreigners' tribunal (eFT) in maintaining a digital database which will benefit all concerned stakeholders.

These tribunals, which are quasi-judicial in nature, will be the appellate tribunals for the NRC-excluded people.

The state government has notified that there will be 15 tribunals each in Kamrup (Metro) and Nagaon, 11 in Hojai, 10 in Darrang, nine in Tinsukia, nine in Cachar, one each in Charaideo and Dima Hasao, eight each in Morigaon, Dhubri, Hailakandi, Kamrup (Rural), Karimganj, Sonitpur and Goalpara, seven each in Barpeta, Lakhimpur and Jorhat, six in Baksa, five each in Golaghat, Biswanath, Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon, four each in Karbi Anglong and Udalguri, three each in Dhemaji, Sivasagar and Dibrugarh, and two each in Chirang, West Karbi Anglong, South Salmara and Nalbari, and one in Majuli.