Over 20,000 people from Punjab attempt to illegally enter at least 57 countries every year. And the greener-pasture syndrome has now spread not only to more areas in Punjab but to the neighbouring states of Haryana,Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir,says a report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Thursday. The report,Smuggling of Migrants from India to Europe,and in particular to UK from Punjab and Haryana,says forged visas of 41 countries are being used in the region. The reports release comes at a time when repeated attacks on Indian migrants in countries like Australia have failed to have any tangible effect on the length of queues outside immigration consultants offices. At present,the report states,over one lakh Punjabi youths from six districts Jalandhar,Hoshiarpur,Kapurthala,Gurdaspur,Nawanshahr and Amritsar are behind bars in foreign countries,facing eventual deportation. In the last one year,20 countries have approached the Indian government to deport 1,195 Punjabi men and women. Ukraine topped the list with 282 persons,followed by Turkey at 111. These people pay Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each to travel agents to help them enter foreign countries,mostly Europe,the report adds. In Punjab,the districts most prone to such attempts are Jalandhar,Hoshiarpur,Kapurthala and Nawanshahr. In Haryana,the trend is picking up in Ambala,Kurukshetra,Karnal and Kaithal,it adds. In the past,illegal migration was confined to a few caste groups,but now it has spread across the board,says the report,adding that 84 per cent of the illegal migrants are from rural areas. More than 90 per cent are males,and about 55 per cent are in the age group of 21 to 30 year. The illegal migrants are noted to have poor educational attainment,states the report. It gives high unemployment rate and perception of a better life abroad as the biggest reasons. And illegal migration increases as it is not seen as a stigma,says the report. Of the 57 countries they favour,UK is the hottest destination. A substantial number of cases of illegal migration to Italy,France and Spain have also come to light. The report states that the agents prepare fake passports,visas,residence permits,apart from exchanging boarding passes. They send their clients through various transit countries to make the migration easier; central Asia or countries in western and northern Africa are on the emerging routes. The services of these agents are utilised even by public representatives and other responsible citizens,the report states. The report recommends an independent legislation to check migrant smuggling,apart from constitution of specialised counter-smuggling law enforcement units,keeping a database of smuggling,and training and capacity-building of law enforcement machinery. Punjab Chief Secretary S C Agrawal released the report. He said the state government has taken stringent legal steps to check illegal migration,and also drafted a legislation to curb this problem. The draft is with the centre for approval,he added. Cristina Albertin,Regional Representative of the UNODC,South Asia,said,Regulation of agents is needed as they are now engaging sub-agents in rural areas and further spreading the menace.
