By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 24: The United Democratic Party (UDP) on Wednesday said the illegal flow of people into the state in the name of labourers cannot be allowed even as it asked the state government to curb the menace by implementing the existing laws and regulations.
UDP chief Metbah Lyngdoh said the trend is alarming for the state and its indigenous people. He was sharing his views on the exodus of migrant labourers amidst the checking of their documents by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU).
Lyngdoh reminded that the government has in place all the rules, regulations and guidelines to deal with labourers, and companies and contractors hiring them.
He stressed that priority should be given to local labourers. At the same time, he acknowledged that there are some jobs that demand skilled professionals from outside.
He stressed the need to address the issue tactically and effectively.
The execution of some major infrastructure projects in the state, sanctioned by the central government, has been greatly affected by the ongoing checking of documents of migrant labourers by some pressure groups and subsequent exodus of over 2,500 labourers.
According to some contractors implementing the projects, nearly 90% of the labourers have left the state in the wake of vigilantism and resultant assault on them in some cases.
The pressure groups said they are checking the documents of the labourers as the government has failed to implement Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act and Inner Line Permit.
The contractors said the labourers have always been the soft targets in Meghalaya. They said the situation has come to such a pass that the labourers are not willing to come back and work in Meghalaya.
The KSU drove out the labourers as they were allegedly found not possessing any documents to prove their nationality.