NEW DELHI, March 22 -- The newly-elected government in the Indian state of Maharashtra on Wednesday seemed to be moderating its earlier statements about restricting entry into the city of Bombay. Chief Minister Manohar Joshi said he had no definite plans to implement such a scheme, but had received several proposals on the subject.
Earlier this week Joshi, head of the new right-wing Maharashtra government, said he might introduce a permit system to restrict the entry of both Indians and foreigners into Bombay. This would be an attempt to deal with the problem of Bombay's overpopulation, Joshi said. Agitated members of India's parliament said Tuesday the move would equate Indians with foreigners and could lead to regional and sectarian strife. Bombay's population of more than 13 million consists in large parts of immigrants from other parts of the country. The protesting members of parliament said the Maharashtra government's dabbling in such sensitive issues was fraught with dangerous consequences for the state and for the millions of immigrants settled there. In Bombay an uncomfortable Joshi back-tracked on the issue and said the permit idea was only a suggestion. Any decision on limiting access to the city would be taken only after his government had studied all aspects of the problem, Joshi said. But in an interview with the Times of India, Joshi said the Indian constitution did not offer blanket freedom for Indian citizens to settle anywhere in the country. The constitution restricts citizens from settling in certain tribal areas. The constitutional provision, however, is unlikely to have any direct impact on Bombay.
