GUWAHATI: Construction of India’s first-of-its-kind detention centre at Matia in Goalpara district of Western Assam is being expedited to house those declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunal.
Admitting that news in a section of the media that the detention centre is for those left out from the National Register of Citizens has triggered panic among people, sources in the home department of Assam told Deccan Chronicle that the idea for setting up well-planned detention centre came after media reported the “inhuman” living conditions in the existing centres. The issue had figured in the Supreme Court as well.
Sources said the Rs 46 crore Matia centre, being built over an area of 2.5 hectares about the size of seven soccer fields, can house 3,000 people.
The complex, whose construction started in 2018, will have 15 four-storey buildings to keep the detainees. The ongoing construction is expected to be completed by December, though rains had caused some delay.
The centre will also have a hospital, an auditorium, a common kitchen, apart from 180 toilets and washrooms. There will be a primary school just outside the detention centre.
A red-painted boundary wall encircles the upcoming camp, with the outer wall at 20 feet and the inner wall at six feet. The detention centre will also have watchtowers and other surveillance equipment.
Refuting reports in media, home department sources clarified that the Matia centre will not be like a regular jail.
“There will be hostel-type rooms, each accommodating four to five detainees.
The rooms will have regular doors, proper lighting and ventilation. Special attention will be given to women, nursing mothers and children. Children within the centre will be provided educational facilities in the nearby local schools.”
The home department has already clarified that people, whose names do not appear in the NRC, cannot be declared foreigners till they exhaust all legal options.
“Every person left out of the NRC can appeal to the Foreigners Tribunal and subsequently approach courts,” sources said.
However, they made it clear that “those left out of the crucial list and unable to prove their citizenship before the deadline ends will be moved to the detention centre. The government has proposed to set up 10 such centres in Assam.
