MAWKYRWAT: South West Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo has clarified that the Anti-Infiltration Special Squad of the office of Superintendent of Police regularly conducts anti-infiltration drives for checking suspected illegal migrant workers and illegal foreigners in the district.
In response to the news report published in The Shillong Times recently wherein the Khasi Students Union (KSU), South West Khasi Hills, criticised the district administration for not being able to tackle influx, Laloo said, “Joint inspection in by the district level team is also being conducted by the Labour department and the Anti-Infiltration Special Squads of the office of Superintendent of Police, Mawkyrwat and Ranikor Block and reports of the same have also been received in the office of the DC.”
With regards to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Rules, 2017, Laloo said that a copy has been forwarded to all headmen within Mawkyrwat area since November 14, 2017 for implementation as the headmen are designated as the local authority within their jurisdiction.
The DC also claimed that the District Task Force holds meeting from time to time.
“The District Task Force in collaboration with the Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) Ranikor Sub-Division has conducted an awareness programme on Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Rules, 2017 on October 22, 2019 in which officers from different departments, headmen and village authorities were present,” she said.
“The Labour department does not implement the ‘work permit system’ as stated in the newspaper report, but is implementing the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment & Condition of Service) Act, 1979 which is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to regulate the condition of service of inter-state labourers in Indian labour law,” Laloo said, adding that the Labour department regularly checks and ensures that all migrant workers employed in the state are legal as per provisions of the Act.
The DC also said that even as the district administration has undertaken all measures, it is still awaiting government instructions in the matter, especially in respect of the Ordinance to amend the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Rules.
