KOCHI: The Puthenvelikkara panchayat has decided to issue special identity cards for migrant workers residing within its limits. The move comes in the wake of a woman’s murder last month allegedly by a migrant worker hailing from Assam.
Under the new system, the panchayat will provide special forms to factory owners and households which provide employment to majority of the migrant workers. “They should return the form duly filled with details of migrant labourers, including their native state, identification marks and period of work. The form along with a passport size photo and Id card of the migrant worker should be submitted to the local police station who will then register the same and issue them special ID cards,” said P V Laju, Puthenvelikkara grampanchayat president.
The panchayat has also decided to conduct checks in migrant settlement areas with the help of the police. “ If a migrant labourer is replaced by another one, a new identity card should be secured after availing the form from the panchayat. We’ll also conduct a survey to draw up the list of outsiders residing in the panchayat. It’s the duty of the landlords to provide details of the tenants,” Laju said. It was on March 19, a 61-year-old woman was found murdered at her house here. The probe resulted in the arrest of Parimal Sahu alias Munna (24) who was staying as a tenant in the victim’s outhouse.