SHILLONG: Labour Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh informed that migrant labourers are required to register themselves under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 1979.
“The State Government was committed to implement compulsory registration of workers as the government was seriously concerned over the influx problem,” Lyngdoh said while replying during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Friday.
According to her, as per the provision of the Act, only the principal employers and contractors are registered and they submitted the names of the labourers engaged by them.
To a supplementary question of Sohra legislator Titosstarwell Chyne, on whether the government has any control mechanism over migrant labourers being employed by the principal employers or contractors, Lyngdoh said that there was no such mechanism but the government has the control over only on the principal employers.
Replying to another supplementary question, Labour Minister said that the migrant labourers who are coming to the State in search of the job on their own do not come under purview of the Labour department.
“We have no control on such kind of labourers. The department is carrying its job as per the provisions mandated by the Act,” Lyngdoh said.
Earlier, Chyne said that the Government is not at all serious in tackling the burning issue of influx of migrant labourers into Meghalaya.
“I know that the principal employers are not submitting the details on the antecedents about the migrant labourers who are working under them to the Labour department. The Labour department is issuing the work permit to the migrant labourers without seeking the details about their antecedents,” Sohra legislator said.
