5 yrs on, schools fail to deposit labour cess

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 5

Though the Education Department has developed many smart schools in the state, but none of these has deposited labour cess, which is mandatory under the Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) Cess Act. Consequently, cess worth crores has not been deposited at the labour department, which is used for the welfare of construction workers.

As per the BOCW Cess Act, 1996, 1 per cent of the total cost of any construction facility has to be deposited with the labour department as labour cess. The Education Department, in 2016, had already issued orders to the District Education Officers, stating every school had to deposit 1 per cent cess for any construction work at the school. However, none of the schools, despite the instructions, paid the labour cess.

VK Janjua, Principal Secretary, said, “We will again write to the Education Secretary to issue fresh directions to schools to deposit the labour cess.”

Meanwhile, school heads and principals, who get the construction work done, told The Tribune that they were neither informed by any government agency nor had they received any additional amount for labour cess. Amarjeet Singh, District Education Officer, Patiala said, “It is not my responsibility to deposit the money. School heads have to deposit the amount as they look after the construction in schools.”