AI Tool to Track, Deport 100% Illegal Bangladeshis in Mumbai: Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the state government is developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, with assistance from IIT-Bombay, to identify illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in Mumbai. The tool has been under testing for the past three months and has achieved around 60 per cent reliability so far, he said.

After unveiling the joint manifesto of the BJP–Shiv Sena–RPI(A) alliance for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections along with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Mr. Fadnavis said the AI system would be deployed only after it achieves “100 per cent reliability” in the coming months.

“We will free Mumbai from Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants. With the help of IIT, we are developing an AI tool that will make identification of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants easier,” the Chief Minister said.

Explaining the rationale behind the project, Mr. Fadnavis said identifying illegal immigrants in Mumbai was challenging as many possess fraudulently obtained Indian documents. “They enter through West Bengal, procure documents there and then settle in Mumbai. They look and speak like us, which makes identification difficult,” he said, adding that the government would trace and deport all illegal immigrants once the tool becomes fully reliable.

“The AI tool is being tested for the last three months. So far it has achieved 60 per cent reliability. It will achieve 100 per cent reliability in the next five to six months. After that, it will become easier to identify illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. We will trace 100 per cent Bangladeshis staying illegally here and deport them,” the Maharashtra CM said.

Mr. Fadnavis also claimed that a record number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants had been deported from Mumbai over the past year and said the drive would continue. He further stated that the government was in the process of acquiring land to construct a detention centre for illegal immigrants.

While asserting that Bangladeshis will be deported from the city, Mr. Fadnavis and Mr. Shinde said they have resolved to bring back the“original Mumbaiks”, who have been displaced to far off suburbs of the metropolitan region, to the city. Mr. Shinde said the government would construct 30 to 35 lakh new houses over the next five years for Marathi families displaced during the previous BMC administration.

Other promises in the manifesto include pothole-free roads, improved traffic management, underground transport infrastructure, better footpaths, increased parking facilities, 24x7 water supply, improved air quality and faster execution of redevelopment projects.

Taking a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Mr. Shinde said those claiming Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy had failed to realise his vision of a slum-free Mumbai. “We will remove hurdles in slum redevelopment projects and ensure pucca houses for slum dwellers at the same location,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress questioned Mr. Fadnavis’s claims regarding deportations. “If the government has indeed deported a record number of illegal Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas, it should make the figures public,” Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.