Shillong: The Meghalaya government will issue work permits to migrant labourers of the state from December.

"The government has approved some amendments in Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act (1979) to tighten the control of government over the flow of migrant labourers. The Labour Department will implement the work permit system by mid-December," government spokesman Paul Lyngdoh told reporters here after a cabinet meeting late last night.

The state government is supposed to have taken this decision in the face of steady influx of illegal migrants in the state and subsequent security concerns.

"All inter-state migrants will have to registered and the permits will be valid for 179 days - one day short of six months. The permit has to be renewed after expiry to work more in the state," Lyngdoh said.

"The main objective of issuing permits for one day less than six months is to bar migrants from being eligible to vote in the state," he said.

Initially, the implementation of the permit system would be concentrated in coal and limestones mining areas of Meghalaya where there are large number of migrant labourers.

State's Labour Department would be revamped with 22 new officers. They will carry out the task with mobile vehicles.

Lyngdoh said deputy commissioners, block development officers and police would be involved to implement the system.

The deputy commissioners and SPs would help the labour department to ascertain the antecedents of migrant labourers and verifying their citizenship credentials.

Lyngdoh said the responsibility of procuring work permits would lie on the employers, and in case of any violation there would be provision for at least two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.
Source : PTI