Chikkamagaluru: With migrant workers from other states rushing to the district for work in coffee estates, superintendent of police Vikram Amate on Wednesday urged the planters to get the labourers' personal details verified.
The SP was addressing the planters at a coffee planters' meeting organised by the Coffee Growers Association along with the Karnataka Growers Federation and the Coffee Board at Vokkaligara Bhavana. He asked the planters not to employ minor labourers.
He suggested the planters submit personal details of the labourers. He advised them to hand over an identity card and other relevant documents to the jurisdictional police, and the department would take care of the rest. "Police will verify the labourers. Proper verification will solve many problems," he said.
Amate also asked the planters to bring any unusual behaviour of the labourers to the notice of the police. Jurisdictional police will visit the estates, and the SP asked the planters to invite police to their estates.
The SP said that an application was launched to maintain the details of the labourers, but it is defunct. "We will review the system," he said.
The planters also demanded the SP issue gun licences to those who underwent the civil rifle training programme. However, the SP said the licence would be issued to the truly needy persons. The district has 10,000 licenced weapons, and cases of misuse are also on the rise, he said.
The SP urged the planters not to give licenced weapons to anyone, including labourers or managers. Amate also said the training programme would be conducted by the end of the year or by Jan 2025.
Meet organiser Uttam Hulikere, Coffee Board of India chairman MJ Dinesh, Karnataka Growers' Federation chairman HT Mohan Kumar, and deputy director for Coffee Board Venkat Reddy were present.