State govt to set up temporary detention centre for illegal immigrants

Mumbai: The state home department has identified a temporary shelter in Chembur to house illegal immigrants. The temporary detention centre will have a capacity of over 40 detainees and is expected to be used for a couple of years until the proposed detention centre in Navi Mumbai is ready.

A home department official said, “It is a stop-gap arrangement for a couple of years. We had written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to identify space for the temporary facility. The facility identified near beggars’ home in Chembur has basic amenities needed for the detainees. They will not be treated as prisoners, but at the same time they will not be allowed to step out of the shelter.”

The state government had proposed a detention centre in accordance with the Model Detention Manual 2019 issued by the Center for illegal immigrants. However, the project did not see much progress over the last three years.

“Immediately after the Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power in June, Devendra Fadnavis, who handles the home department, had directed the officials concerned to find 10 acres of land for the Centre. We have identified a plot which is part of a land parcel owned by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO),” another official said.

Meanwhile, the home department officials said illegal immigrants fall in three categories. “The largest chunk belongs to immigrants who have served their sentences after getting convicted for criminal activities and needed to be deported at the earliest. The other bunch is those who overstay after the expiry of their visas,” the officials said. The third category is foreign citizens who are to be deported for taking part in anti-government activities, the officials added.

Maharashtra will be the third state to have a detention centre after Goa and Delhi. The detention centre at Navi Mumbai is expected to cost ₹57 crore.