By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 4: The KSU and the FKJGP have hailed the move to amend the Meghalaya Identification, Registration (Safety & Security) of Migrant Workers Act, 2020 in a bid to check the antecedents of migrant workers.
The state government will utilise the central system, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), to verify the antecedents of migrant workers and ensure that only those with no criminal records can join the workforce in Meghalaya.
In a statement on Sunday, KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah mentioned that the state government has claimed that it will utilise the central system – Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) – to verify antecedents and ensure that only those with no criminal records can join the workforce in Meghalaya.
“We are also happy that the Cabinet had assured to table the amendment bill in the Assembly in the upcoming session whereby it will enhance the penalty of the contractors who violate the Act from Rs 5,000 to Rs one lakh. In the case of repeat offender, there will be simple imprisonment not exceeding three months,” Thabah said.
He said that the KSU hopes that all the elected representatives will endorse this amendment which had been approved by the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, Thabah said that the KSU will keep a closely watch to ensure the government implements these new provisions in letter and spirit.
The KSU general secretary said that the labour inspectors should conduct regular checking otherwise the students’ body will be force to act again.
He further said that the KSU would like to remind to both Centre and the state government on the pending issues of ILP and the amendment of the MRSSA.
“We will continue to implement our own ILP and MRSSA if the both Centre and state continue to delay implementation of these two laws,” he added.
Welcoming the proposed amendment, FKJGP president Dundee C Khongsit said on Sunday, “We welcome it. We are positive about any mechanism that has been brought by the government to check or regulate influx.”
The members of the organisation had earlier received summonses from the state police for conducting drives to check the documents of migrant workers.
“We don’t want anyone with criminal antecedents to come and take shelter in our state. We have found in many instances that petty crimes like theft are mostly committed by migrants coming from outside,” Khongsit said.
According to him, the amendment will not only help the government to regulate entry of migrant workers but it will also serve as a model for the rest of the country as criminals from one state will not be able to take shelter in another state.
“We are a microscopic community and we have to take care of ourselves so that we don’t get overrun by illegal immigrants,” he added.
Stating that they are not against people coming to Meghalaya from other parts of the country, he said, “If we are not in a position to get technical or skilled workers, they can come and work here, but we cannot allow people coming from outside to become permanent settlers here and outnumber our people.”
He cited the case of Tripura where the indigenous communities have been overrun by migrants.
“It is our duty as a community to ensure that people coming from outside to work here should not multiply and outnumber us as we have only this land for ourselves,” he added.
Talking about the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System, he said, “This will really help as it will be a database of those coming from outside and their criminal antecedents. It is a win-win situation for the workers coming to work and also for the safety and security of the people.”
He also stated that the government should evolve a mechanism to identify the tourists and regulate their inflow, adding that the organisation wants Meghalaya to grow in terms of tourism.