Migrant workers to be registered in Baddi industrial area

In a bid to regulate and monitor the movement of migrants in the Baddi industrial area, they will be required to register themselves at their respective police stations in the Baddi-Barotiwala sub-division.

The area abounds in migrant workers from other states who operate kiosks or engage in works like collection of scrap, domestic help, labour etc. With no such mandate having been followed till now, the police often face problems in locating them when anti-social elements commit crimes and flee to their parent states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh etc.

This district fares last in law and order and crime index of the state as a large number of migrants are found engaged in a slew of heinous crimes.

Baddi SDM Vivek Mahajan, who directed all building owners and migrants to seek registration, said, “Individuals seeking employment in the Baddi subdivision will be required to register themselves with the police now. Since this area witnesses an influx of migrant workers from other states, it is important to regulate and monitor their movement. It will also help in maintaining law and order in this bordering industrial belt.”

The workers will be required to approach their respective police stations along with their photographs as well as an identity proof such as Aadhaar card/voter ID etc along with the record of their place of residence and employment within this industrial belt. This will enable the police to locate them in case of an eventuality.

As per the directions issued by the SDM, individuals arriving in Baddi, Barotiwala subdivision must not engage in self-employment, informal trade, or job-seeking activities without informing the Station House Officer concerned.

The owners of the residential buildings have been strictly warned to ensure that they rent their property only to the tenants after due character verification from the respective police stations. “These measures aim to enhance security in the region so that peaceful and conducive atmosphere can be maintained in the sub-division. The house owners have been directed to ensure strict compliance of these instructions and any violation would attract action under Section 223, of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 for disobeying the orders as well as the other relevant provisions of law,” added the SDM.

The Executive Officer of Baddi Municipal Committee, Baddi will have to ensure that all the migratory workers operating in the area seek mandatory registration from the respective Police Stations.

Employers have also been given the mandate of ensuring that the hired migratory workers, including helpers, labour etc, are registered at the nearest police station before commencing their job. The employers will also have to update the record of all workers, including their contact information and state of origin, and submit a copy to the respective police station. No employer, contractor or trader in the district shall engage migrant workers for casual or informal jobs as per the instructions.

Notably, in the absence of such a mandate the migrants as well as the employers were often lax in seeking registration and police also failed to get their verification done from their parent state due to lack of response. The area has about 1,800 industries and more than a lakh migratory workers who engage in various activities.