SHILLONG: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has alleged that over 2,500 migrant workers have been forced to leave Meghalaya in the past 12 days by pro-Inner Line Permit (ILP) activists.
According to the union, the labourers were found working in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region “without mandatory registration” issued by the State Labour Department.
KSU is one of the pro-Inner Line Permit organisations that has been demanding the implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya to “check the influx of outsiders”.
“We found that over 2,500 migrant workers have been found working without valid documents in the 12 days,” said a member of the Khasi Students’ Union
The student body has appealed to the state government to take stringent measures against illegal migrants.
The state government has made it compulsory for migrant labourers to mandatorily register with the Labour Department under the Interstate Workmen Act 1979 and the Meghalaya Identification, Registration (Safety & Security) of Migrant Workers Rules 2020.
However, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma recently clarified that although mandatory registration was required for all migrant labourers, no individual or organization was authorized to check the papers of such workers.
Sangma also clarified that there is “no work permit” in the state for migrant workers, but there is a “mandatory registration” of such workers with the Labour Department.
He said this provision of mandatory registration of the migrant workers is to ensure their “safety” and to “keep a database” of the labourers in the state.
