Anushila Sharma
Gangtok, 31 January

Police in the Himalayan state of Sikkim have decided to strictly implement a rule that requires landlords and employers to furnish details of tenants and migrant workers.

Addressing a press conference in Gangtok on Friday, Gangtok district Superintendent of Police Tenzing Loden Lepcha said that police will take legal steps of the rule is further flouted.

According to the Sikkim Tenants and Domestic and Professional Help Compulsory Verification Act, 2008, if a house or room is rented out to someone, a tenant verification form will have to be submitted to the nearest police station within 30 days. Similarly, if a domestic worker is hired, it is mandatory for the employer to submit an employee verification form.

According to the Sikkim Labour Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services Act, 2021, it is mandatory for all workers from outside the state to be registered in Sikkim.

“Employers are required to register their workers at the district labour office or check post. Failure to do so will result in a fine of Rs 2500 per worker,” Lepcha said. He added that so far only 30,000 workers have been registered in the organised and unorganised sectors, and that more than 1 lakh workers were sent out of the state during the Covid pandemic.

“Religious institutions are also required to provide information to the police about people coming to the state to deliver sermons, and if any international citizens stay in hotels, homestays or private homes, their details must be registered with the Bureau of Immigration through the C-Form,” Lepcha said.

According to him, only 1300 hotels have done such registration so far and many of them have not updated their check-out details, which has increased the risk of illegal immigration.

The SP added that a District Intelligence Unit Flying Squad will be formed, which will work in coordination with various agencies.

“The entire registration process must be completed by February 10, 2025,” Lepcha said. He said that a facial recognition technology will be implemented, which will help in automatically identifying people involved in criminal activities.

The SP said that in a recent high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), discussions were held on how to prevent illegal immigration and make the verification of visitors effective in Sikkim.

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