: The contractor, who engaged labourers at the ill-fated site at Lakshmipuram in Guntur city, reportedly does not possess licence and has not enrolled the workmen with the Labour Department.
However, Labour Department officials said that it was not their duty to check the licence of the contractor. According to the AP Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Act, 1996, any construction taken up by government, public sector units, corporations, panchayats and private persons should pay one per cent cess (on the total estimation cost of the structure) to the AP Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. Under the Act, the owner or the contractor should register the establishment with the Labour Department, enrol the workers and pay cess to the government. But in this case, the builder or the contractor has violated the Act.
When contacted, Guntur Deputy Commissioner of Labour (DCL) R. Kasi Viswanadham on Monday said the Labour Inspector of the Factories Department and the Labour Officer look into the violations and not an officer of the rank of DCL. Interestingly, the DCL is the Cess Assessment Officer for the construction of buildings for which the estimated cost is above Rs. 1 crore each, in the district.
