Lucknow mayor presses verification drive against infiltrators, seeks public support

Lucknow, Dec 8 (PTI) The Lucknow municipal corporation has been running a sustained verification drive for over a year, particularly against suspected Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals, said the city's Mayor Sushma Kharkwal on Monday.

The campaign has yielded results, citing instances where entire clusters were vacated swiftly, Kharkwal said while speaking to PTI Videos.

"Within an hour, around 50 people were cleared from an area. I sat there and told officials I would not move till these illegal occupants left," she said.

Referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's appeal earlier in the day asking people to remain alert and help identify infiltrators, Kharkwal said the responsibility of the state's security rests with the chief minister.

The verification exercise is part of a broader statewide drive by the administration and police to identify Rohingya, Bangladeshi and other foreign nationals staying illegally and initiate deportation proceedings according to the law, she said.

She said the drive has also extended to internal cleansing within the Lucknow Municipal Corporation.

"In the last one to two weeks, nearly 160 people left their jobs (in the municipal corporation). If our own house is clean, only then can we look outside. Filtration within the civic body is equally important," she said.

Kharkwal said she has directed all municipal zones to prepare lists of such persons and be ready for eviction.

Warning of long-term consequences, she said, "If we do not correct things now, the situation could become very serious 20 years down the line." The public has a big responsibility. Media, government and citizens must work together for this campaign to succeed, she said.

"If people spot infiltrators living around them, especially in slums, they should inform us. I will reach there myself," she said.

On the Uttar Pradesh government's plan to set up detention centres, Kharkwal said it falls under the district administration's mandate.

"The moment the district administration asks us for land, I will make it available. My role is to ensure verification in slums and settlements, which is already underway," she said, adding that she would continue the drive throughout the remainder of her term.

Referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's appeal earlier in the day asking people to remain alert and help identify infiltrators, Kharkwal said the responsibility of the state's security rests with the chief minister.

The verification exercise is part of a broader statewide drive by the administration and police to identify Rohingya, Bangladeshi and other foreign nationals staying illegally and initiate deportation proceedings as per law.

The senior BJP leader, Kharkwal, has personally visited several slum areas in recent months to verify settlements, following the incidents of violence against civic officials during earlier checks, drawing criticism from opposition leaders who alleged harassment of the poor and questioned the mayor's jurisdiction. PTI KIS