Baijnath police launch drive to register migrants

The police have launched a special campaign for the registration of migrant labourers working in the Baijnath and Jaisinghpur subdivisions of Kangra district.

Baijnath DSP Anil Sharma told the Tribune that the campaign would continue for the next 15 days. He said special teams had been constituted to verify documents of the migrant labourers.

The police were concerned over the arrival of a large number of migrant labourers from other states in Baijnath and Jaisinghpur recently as most of them were not registered and did not have proper identification documents, the DSP said. Recent reports of the migrant labourers being involved in many incidents of crime had sounded the alarm bell, he added.

Information gathered by the Tribune reveals that though the police and local administration have repeatedly requested the migrant labourers and their employers to get themselves registered at the nearest police station, only a few have come forward.

Contractors who have employed these labourers are also not registered with the competent authorities like the police, labour officer, Municipal Corporation and SDM office.

The DSP said the labour contractors had been directed several times to report at the nearest police station along with their Aadhaar cards and other personal documents for the registration.

“The documents submitted by the labourers at the police stations are being forwarded to their respective home states for verification. If the labourers fail to report at the police stations, action will be taken against them as per the law. Besides, landlords of the migrant labourers have been directed to inform the police stations about the complete addresses of their tenants,” he added.

KB Ralhan and Subhash Sharma, members of NGO People’s Voice, have urged the Kangra SP to launch the campaign for the registration of the migrants labourers in other police stations of the district. It would help the police in controlling the rising crime, they added.