SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has made it clear that the state does not issue work permits for migrant workers but mandates their registration with the Labour department.
The declaration came after reports of pressure groups assaulting migrant labourers in the guise of checking their “work permits” emerged from certain areas of the state.
Addressing the press after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister Sangma informed that four cases have been registered against various groups in connection with such incidents.
“We have registered four FIRs against different organisations who have done this (checking papers and assaulting labourers) in the past few days,” he said.
Reiterating that one doesn’t need a work permit in Meghalaya, he, stressed that contractors employing these labourers however are responsible for ensuring their registration with the Labour Department or face penalties if they fail to do so.
Sangma, in strong words, highlighted that no individual or organisation is authorised to check the papers of these workers, stating that any such actions are illegal.
The chief minister noted that pressure groups conducting such checks are disrupting projects beneficial to the public.
“If anyone has concerns, we are prepared to provide all necessary information. However, taking the law into one’s own hands and conducting checks is unacceptable. Action will be taken according to the provisions of the law,” he warned.
Responding to claims that the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government is “lenient towards pressure groups”, Sangma pointed out that arrests have been made in the past, but these actions did not receive media attention as much as sensational news does.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of the assault on labourers renovating JN Stadium on Tuesday.
The commission has issued a notice to the Superintendent of Police, requesting a detailed report within two weeks.
The issue made news when, on July 8, labourers, including a technician from a private company in Delhi, were assaulted by members of Khasi Students; Union at JN Stadium at Polo Grounds.
Members of the students’ body also conducted a “work permit” checking exercise in Mawprem and Mawlai areas to pressure the government into implementing the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016.
