GANGTOK: To address increasing apprehensions over the possible influx of some individuals with criminal backgrounds due to the increase in migrant laborers, the Sikkim government has begun implementing vigorous enforcement of the Labour ID Card requirement.
Migrant laborers must complete registration and verification by Monday; tenant verification by landlords must also be completed by February 10.
During a high-level meeting on January 31, Gangtok District Senior Superintendent of Police Tenzing Loden Lepcha laid emphasis on the verification of tenants and appealed to the landlords to get their tenants verified by the specified date. Labour Department Secretary Ragul K said that most of the skilled and unskilled workers were coming to Sikkim to work in various sectors like construction and hospitality. He expressed concerns that many of these workers lack proper police verification, raising the risk of criminal elements using Sikkim as a refugee.
Under the Sikkim Labour Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service Act (2021), employers are required to verify all migrant laborers before employment. Those without verification will be kept in detention and repatriation. The Act also makes provision for penalties in case of non-compliance. In the case of failure to register a worker, the employer is liable to be fined Rs 2,500 for each such unregistered employee.
Under the Labour Department, as of January 2025, nearly 18,995 laborers have registered under the organized sector and around 16,000 under the unorganized sector. The process of registration is ongoing, with facilities available at district offices and entry points. Flying squads would be monitoring the enforcement, and a dedicated website and app for registration would soon be launched for the purpose of increasing compliance.
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