150 migrant workers held by KSU activists

From A Reporter

SHILLONG, Jan 25: Nongthymmai unit of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), along with Madanriting unit, led by its organising secretary Richard Mawkhiew held around 150 migrant workers after conducting a surprise checking of buses in Mawblei area around 7.30 am on Thursday.

Later speaking to reporters, KSU Nongthymmai circle organising secretary Richard Mawkhiew said that activists of the union detained two buses ferrying around 150 migrant workers, who were brought to the State by a company from Delhi to work on a project for the Indian Air Force at Laitkor.

“We have asked the workers to produce documents like work permit and labour licenses, but they were uble to produce any,” he claimed.

In this connection, Mawkhiew said the KSU has also directed the mager of the Delhi-based company, who was present at the location, to send back all the migrant workers to the place from where they came.

Sharing more information with the media persons, Mawkhiew said that later the KSU activists entered the camp where the migrant workers were stationed at Mawblei and found that there were around 400 plus migrant workers. The surprise checking was conducted by activists the students’ body in the presence of traditiol heads and members of Madanriting dorbar shnong.

The KSU leader also slammed the State’s Labour for not taking up the matter seriously, including thorough checking of work permits and labour licenses of migrant workers.

The students’ leader also blamed the State government for not speeding up the process of setting up entry and exit points, which, according to the KSU, will go a long way in curbing the entry of illegal migrants into Meghalaya.

Mawkhiew further threatened to conduct similar checking in the near future to flush out migrant workers from outside the State who do not possess any proper documents.

He also urged various companies and contractors to first give priority to the locals of the State, instead of bringing in migrant workers from outside.