It brought relief to a section of indigenous people of
Assam, who feel Bengali-speaking interlopers have intruded into their lives and land.
This was a joint effort of
Assam Forest Department, Hayagriva Madhava Temple Management Committee, Ugratara Temple Management, Turtle Survival Alliance and Help Earth.
Resentment against illegal immigrants has simmered for years in
Assam, one of India's poorest states, with residents blaming outsiders, many said to come from neighbouring Bangladesh, for stealing their jobs and land.
The threads of anti-foreigner sentiments in the state of
Assam can be traced to the pre-partition period.
To be eligible for Indian citizenship, it was mandatory for all
Assam residents to produce documents proving that they or their families had lived in the
Assam before March 24, 1971, the day before the war for Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan began.
The bill will favour illegal migrant Hindus from Bangladesh to settle in
Assam and other north-eastern states.
Talking at the meeting, proprietor of Koyeli Tours and Travels in Guwahati,
Assam, Arijit Purkayastha, said that people of
Assam are comfortable with Bhutanese people coming to
Assam.
"We are also going to open new offices in all 145 tehsil headquarters across
Assam. Our approach has always been to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and have generated 20,000 jobs in
Assam," Ambani said.
Another report adds: Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Novo Air, a private airline based in Dhaka, will start direct flight from Dhaka to Guwahati, the capital of Indian
Assam state that shares northeastern border with Bangladesh, soon.