Two village panchayats in Bathinda district passed controversial resolutions putting hold on migrant labourers in a decision that has sparked hot debate.
In Deepes panchayat village, members of the panchayat organized a protest against migrant workers heading in and declared that the outsiders would not be permitted to receive water or Aadhaar cards in the village. They instructed that laborers have to be kept close to tube well motors rather than residential areas, and instructed farmers who hire migrants to make sure their police verification is done.
In the adjoining Gehari Bhagi village, the diktat was more extreme. Addressing a public gathering in the village Gurdwara Sahib, the panchayat issued five stern directives to migrant workers:
The migrants cannot buy property or homes in the village.
They are not allowed to get voter IDs or Aadhaar registered on the village address.
They can reside only in tube wells or farm huts, not within residential limits.
The farmers employing them will be made entirely responsible.
Police verification is required for all the migrants.
The decision was justified by village sarpanch Baljit Singh, who said, "Any labourer who comes to work cannot be settled in the village." Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) members Sidhu Pur also backed it, claiming that the migrants, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were disrupting the social fabric of the place.
The decisions have, however, been controversial, with numerous people labeling them discriminatory, illegal, and a violation of human rights. Administrative authorities are cross-checking the legality and ramifications of such resolutions, even as the controversy on employment needs and social harmony remains to aggravate in rural Punjab.