New Delhi: Voicing concern over failure
of states and Union Territories in implementing laws
regulating employment of construction workers, the Supreme
Court today issued notices to officials concerned asking them
to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated
against them.
A bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia asked the
officials to be personally present at the next date of hearing
to explain their failure in implementing the law.
The court referred to the case of Uttar Pradesh, Jammu
& Kashmir, Assam and other states where the government has
failed in implementing the Building and Other Construction
Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service)
Act, 1996.
"The court is left with no option but to issue show
cause notice against the officials on why contempt proceedings
should not be initiated against them," the court said.
It noted that state governments have disobeyed various
orders pronounced by the apex court relating to implementation
of the said law and failed to perform their statutory
functions.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking direction to the
governments to implement the Building and Other Construction
Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service)
Act, 1996.
The petition was filed by NGO National Campaign
Committee for Construction Labour, which alleged that many
states including Maharashtra, Goa, Nagaland and Chandigarh
have failed to implement the law meant to regulate unorganised
construction workers.
PTI
