Khliehriat, Sep 21: Construction of the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) at Kairang village in East Jaintia Hills has been halted by the Jaintia National Council (JNC) after it found hundreds of undocumented non-tribal workers engaged at the site.
The JNC led by General Secretary Wanshwa Suting conducted a surprise inspection on Monday and found the project being executed by Badri Rai Company.
“During inspection, we found that Badri Rai Company had brought in several hundred non-tribal labourers from outside the state. These labourers did not possess proper licences or documents,” Suting told reporters.
He said any non-tribal worker in Meghalaya must possess registration under MRSSA 2020 as per Section 6(1) and register with the Office of the Registration Officer, besides holding an Employee Service Licence under Rule 20(1) of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council Trading by Non-Tribals Rules, 2015.
The JNC said while the EMRS project under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is beneficial for tribals with hostels, sports and skill development facilities and will create local jobs, “the sad thing is only non-tribals are working here.”
The council has suspended work by non-tribal labourers and allowed only local workers to continue, demanding the company not to bring outside labour when locals are available.
