Although it is illegal for any individual or organisations to carry out checking of documents of a labourer, the drive conducted by the Khasi Students Union (KSU) continued for the third day.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told reporters, “Nobody is authorised to check papers of labourers except for the Labour department.”
He said the department registers labourers for their safety and to maintain a database. The contractors who employ these labourers are responsible to register these workers. There is also a provision for penalty if the contractors fail to do so.
The KSU has pushed back hundreds of workers from different parts of the city two days after it erected an influx check gate along the National Highway in Ri Bhoi district on July 6. Thereafter, its members have been conducting checks if the workers possess any work permit in its drive to prevent illegal influx.
The drive continued today in the Laitumkhrah area. The KSU said 62 labourers were found to be working without a permit, out of which 33 are from Assam and 29 from Bihar. They said 13 labourers do not have a voter ID.
“There is nothing called a work permit apart from a mandatory registration by the Labour Department. That is the only policy that is followed in Meghalaya,” the Chief Minister said.
He said police have registered four cases against different organisations who have conducted such drives in the past few days.
The KSU is peeved by the state government’s delay to implement the inner line permit (ILP) and Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016. The KSU argues that these measures are essential to safeguarding the interests of the indigenous community.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the ILP is yet to be cleared by the centre while the MRSSA was returned.
It may be mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had returned the MRSSA (Amendment) Bill 2020 to the State government with certain observations.
The Central government has stated that setting up of entry-exit gates under the Meghalaya Residents Safety & Security Act (MRSSA) Amendment Bill 2020 was not acceptable and would create inconvenience to the visitors or people entering the State.
Asked why stern action has not been taken on such acts, which are often marred by assaults, the Chief Minister blamed the media for not publishing reports of arrests, which also brought in resentment from such groups.
“We have been firm, but that was not carried again in the press. Now cases have been filed and the police are doing their job,” he stated.
