SHILLONG, July 18: Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma has invited pro-Inner Line Permit (ILP) groups for talks on Friday following the latter’s decision to intensify checking of documents of migrant workers across the Khasi-Jaintia region of Meghalaya.
“I am directed to inform you that the Chief Minister desires to hold a meeting with some of the members of the Union in his office chamber on July 19 at 12 pm,” East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner RM Kurbah said in a letter to the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) general secretary Donald V Thabah.
The KSU had claimed that over 2500 migrant workers, who allegedly failed to produce valid documents, were detected and pushed back from the state during its ongoing checking drive held in the last 12 days.
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On Wednesday, KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar had announced the union’s decision to further intensify the checking drive as a mark of protest against the state government’s failure to implement existing laws including the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016 besides mounting pressure on the Centre to immediately implement the inner line permit (ILP) to check unabated influx into the state.
He said that the KSU will also soon meet with other NGOs to decide on other courses of action to address the important issue.
”We will continue to intensify the checking of documents of migrant labourers despite government-police action against the union and its members,” Marngar had said.
“Over 2500 migrant workers are found to be working without valid documents. The question also arises whether they are Indian citizens or not,” he had said while adding “We also want to know how many cases have the government filed against such illegal migrant workers without valid documents, and what action is being taken against contractors for violating the rules.”
“In fact, we are just trying to help the government to effectively implement the existing laws but we were instead alleged to be taking law into our own hands. The KSU along with other NGOs are forced to take action so that it will be a wakeup call to the state government,” Marngar had stated. (NNN)
