Many migrant labourers have been found travelling to their hometown armed with “passes” issued by MLAs during the lockdown despite government shelters being set up.

The “authorisation letters” issued on purported letterheads of political leaders seek police cooperation in allowing the movement of these labourers in their jurisdiction.

Movement of migrant labourers stranded because of the lockdown has been banned across the country to prevent possible inter-state or inter-district spread of Covid-19, state home department officials said.

Reacting to such incidents of MLAs issuing “passes”, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday instructed the police not to take cognisance of such requests from politicians and to stick to the rules.

“You don’t have to listen to any MP or MLA who have issued such letters. Everyone (migrant labourers) should stay where they are,” the chief minister said.

There are 40,000 migrant labourers who are currently in Bengal and are being taken care of, she added.

The movement of large number of migrant labourers without any health check-up can pose a direct threat to people where the labourers go, a health department official said.

Senior officers of the police directorate said it was becoming difficult to implement the lockdown because of local MLAs who authorise such movement, which cops had been trying to restrict.

The chief minister’s announcement came a few hours after a group of 66 labourers on a bus were stopped near Vivekananda Setu on Monday morning. On questioning, they told the police that they were from Metiabruz and were headed home to North Dinajpur.

They apparently produced a letter from an MLA that said they were tailors from North Dinajpur.

“They have been all working as tailors at Metiabruz. But now they are going to their native place at the above address,” the letter on the purported official letterhead of the MLA said.

Calcutta police forced the bus and its occupants to return to Metiabruz.

A group of 200-odd labourers, originally from Islampur in North Dinajpur, had returned to their homes last week carrying a purported letter from an MLA of another district. Similar letters that are marked to the police and the administration have sought “full cooperation” to ensure the labourers could return to their homes. Multiple police officers Metro spoke to said such letters defied the lockdown.

Last week, the state government had announced that temporary shelters, along with food, would be arranged for the homeless and the poor, including migrant labourers, to ensure they do not travel during the lockdown.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had appealed to the chief ministers of 18 states to look after migrant labourers from Bengal stranded there.

According to a directive issued by the state chief secretary, the district administration will set up shelters for migrant labourers present in Bengal.