Punjab: Amid deportations, Bajwa blames govt for failing to curb human trafficking

Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday (February 15) accused the Bhagwant Mann government of failing to curb human trafficking.

His remarks came on a day when a second plane carrying 119 Indian deportees from the US will land at Amritsar airport.

Bajwa's query

Bajwa, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, asked CM Mann how many travel agents were booked for human trafficking in the past three years.

He said the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act 2012 regulates the profession of travel agents to check and curb illegal activities.

Also Read: BJP accuses Punjab CM Mann of politicising deportees after 'conspiracy' claim

"Can CM Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, let the Punjabis know how many travel agents have been booked under the same law in the last three years," Bajwa asked.

'National problem'

"Mann said that illegal immigration is not only a problem in Punjab but a national problem. True, but, is his government not responsible if any illegality happens in the state? He seems to have been running away from his responsibilities," the Congress leader said in a statement.

It was AAP's one of the main election planks to stop the brain drain by motivating youngsters to explore careers in the home state, he added.

Bajwa said it has been 10 days since the first flight carrying 104 deportees including 30 Punjabis arrived in Amritsar.

Also Read: Two US flights with Indian deportees set to land in Amritsar

But the Mann government "failed" miserably to provide a helping hand and announce any rehabilitation programme for deportees hailing from Punjab, he alleged.

'No compensation'

Mann has not announced any compensation for them, he further said.

The AAP government has not assured them that the government would help them get their money refunded by the illegal travel agents, said Bajwa.

'Publicity stunt'

"Mann says he is going to receive the 119 deportees arriving today in Amritsar. In the absence of a rehabilitation programme and compensation, this act of Mann is nothing more than a publicity stunt," he said.

A plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants from the US will land at the Amritsar airport on Saturday, the second such batch of Indians to be deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of its crackdown on illegal migration.

Also Read:Another group of 119 Indian deportees from US set to land in Amritsar

Flight expected on Saturday night

The flight is expected to land at the airport around 10 pm on Saturday, official sources said.

Among the 119 deportees, 67 are from Punjab alone. Of the rest 52 deportees, 33 are from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

(With agency inputs)