Tuesday, January 18 2005 10:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kendrapara: Police had so far served "quit India" notice to 237 Bangladeshi "infiltrators" in Orissa's coastal Kendrapara district even as 43 such identified settlers could not be traced, official sources said.

Quit notices were served on 135 persons living in Kharinasi village under Mahakalapada block on the third day of the drive who were asked to leave the country within 30 days.

But the notices could be served on only 102 settlers in Ramnagar village under the same block where the authorities had identified 145 infiltrators, the sources said.

Houses of 43 of the settlers were found locked when the police visited the village. The local people also could not give any information about their whereabouts.

"We presume they have fled the village to ensure that they are not served with the notices," the sources said.

The Government decided last week to serve the quit notice on 1,551 illegal settlers in the Mahakalapada block.

If they do not quit on their own, they would be arrested under the Provisions of the Foreigners' Act, 1946 and handed over to the BSF (Border Security Force) for deportation, the sources said.

There, however, was a spurt in the notice serving drive yesterday (Jan 17, 2005) as schoolteachers joined the team of police and revenue officials. But representatives of the Panchayats, who decided to boycott the drive, kept away.

Meanwhile, the local people launched a "Utkal-Bangiya Surakhya Samiti" to defend against deportation move.