Only one lakh out of 40 lakh left out of Assam draft NRC list have filed claims so far
The complete NRC draft list, which was published on July 30, excluded 40,07,707 persons, who risk becoming illegal immigrants unless their claims for inclusion pass rounds of verification, which are likely to start once the process of submitting claims finishes on November 28.
Just over one lakh out of 40 lakh applicants whose names did not appear in the complete draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam have filed claims for inclusion since the process commenced on September 25.
The complete draft which was published on July 30 excluded 40,07,707 persons who risk becoming illegal immigrants unless their claims for inclusion pass the rounds of verification which are likely to start once the process of submitting claims finishes on November 28.
“Only 1,02,000 people have so far submitted their claims,” said a top NRC official on condition of anonymity quoting the figure as they stood on Saturday.
According to the official, the sluggish response could be also because the standard operating procedure for filing claims and objections is yet to be finalized, even as the Supreme Court had ordered that the process should start on September 25.
Despite demands, the court is yet to take a call on if five documents including the extract of the 1951 NRC, extract of the voters lists up to March 25, 1971, citizenship certificates, refugee registration cards and ration cards can be submitted afresh for filing claims.
Out of the initial list of 15 List A documents, which the applicants could submit with the NRC application, only 10 are being accepted now for the claims exercise after a report by state coordinator Prateek Hajela to the Supreme Court.
The Centre, the state government, political parties and other pressure groups have demanded that all 15 documents should be allowed. The Supreme Court is likely to finalise the SOP in the next hearing scheduled on October 23 after taking into consideration the report submitted by Hajela.
Meanwhile, the number of objections filed against those included in the NRC draft is almost negligible. “The number of objections filed so far is a two digit figure,” the official said.
