Raphael Warjri

Earlier today, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) urged the State Joint Labour Commissioner to strictly enforce the Meghalaya Identification, Registration, Safety and Security of Migrant Workers Act, 2020.

In a letter submitted by its president, Roy Kupar Synrem, the Council expressed concern over migrant workers being allowed entry and employment in the state on the strength of acknowledgement slips issued by the Labour Department, without proper verification of their antecedents.

The HYC warned that such slips are vulnerable to forgery and misuse, citing cases detected during inspections in the Byrnihat area of Ri-Bhoi district. It questioned the legality of allowing workers into Meghalaya or engaging them in jobs on the basis of these temporary slips, which were meant only until registration cards are issued.

Demanding stricter oversight, the HYC called for contractors to be made responsible for collecting the full set of documents from labourers and submitting them to the Labour Commission. Only after official approval of these documents, it stressed, should migrant workers be permitted entry or employment in the state.

The organisation further urged the government to issue clear directions to police personnel at infiltration check gates not to accept acknowledgement slips as valid papers.