LUCKNOW, Dec. 11 -- After shrill rhetoric on setting up temporary detention centres for illegal immigrants across the state and a high-decibel verification campaign not yielding much of a result, a reality check right under the nose of the government in the state capital reveals confusion among the authorities who pass the buck amid claims that there is no written order yet on the issue.

The claimed absence of written instructions has resulted in each department informally suggesting that "another department is responsible" for the preliminary moves. Police officials point to the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), LMC officials point towards the divisional commissioner's office, and the divisional administration claims that no directiv...