Arun Singh
Early Times Report
Jammu, April 11: The Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Department did not deduct Rs 2.90 lakh Labour Cess from the contractors, in violation of the rules.
The BOCW Act, which came into force in 2006 in the state, envisages that Labour Cess to the tune of one per cent has to be deducted from the bills, but the ULB department failed to comply with the rules.
Sources told Early Times that three ULBs including Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Municipal Committee Khour, and Municipal Committee Batore did not comply with the provisions of the Act, and cess at the rate of one per cent amounting to Rs 2.90 lakh was not deducted from the bills of the contractors during the period 2012-13 to 2014-15.
They further informed that in another case, a cess amounting to Rs 48000, although recovered from the bills of contractors during 2014-15, was not remitted by the MC Udhampur to the concerned agency.
Shockingly, MC Batote and MC Khour cited ignorance of rules for not deducting cess. Despite the claims of SMC that amount will be recovered from the contractors from their future claims and in respect of unremitted amounts by MC Udhampur to the concerned agency, nothing has been done so far by them.
Pertinently, the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Boards was constituted under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 1996, an act to provide for levy and collection of Cess on the cost of construction incurred by the employers.
In this connection, the state government in 2006 notified the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Rules 2006. Accordingly, the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act became operational in the state with effect from July 2006.
As per Section 3 of the Act, it is mandatory to levy/ collection of cess at the rate not less than one per cent of the cost of construction by every employer and deposit it with the concerned Board. |
