Nawanshahr/Rahon- Today, on the first day of the Punjab Assembly session, National Labour Organization (NLO) Convenor Baldev Bharti State Awardee met MLA of Nawanshahr Assembly Constituency Dr. Nachattar Pal and handed over a memorandum to run the website of Punjab Building and Construction Labour Welfare Board which has been completely closed for the last 3 weeks smoothly.
Baldev Bharti said that there is a lot of disappointment and anger among the construction labour beneficiaries across Punjab due to the complete closure of the website of construction labour registration and welfare schemes for the last 3 weeks. He said that there were many shortcomings in the online portal of the board earlier also and its server was down most of the time. But now due to the complete closure of the website, the work of registration of construction labourers and application for welfare schemes has come to a complete halt.
On the other hand, the 'Punjab Kirti Sahayak' app launched by the Punjab government is also not reliable. Instead of providing relief to the labourers, this app has put them in confusion. Construction workers are breaking their daily work and visiting the facility centers and are mentally disturbed.
Baldev Bharti also said that due to the deadline of the website closure, many workers are suffering huge financial losses due to non-receipt of registration, renewal and welfare schemes applications. Due to the closure of the board's website, many scheduled meetings of the sub-division level screening committees, which approve financial assistance for the applications of welfare schemes, could not be held.
Apart from this, the financial assistance to be approved for welfare schemes has also stopped. Through this memorandum, the NLO has strongly demanded from the Chief Minister-cum-Chairman Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Punjab Bhagwant Singh Mann that for the social security and bright future of the construction workers, the board's website and Punjab Kirti Sahayak App should be operated immediately in a proper manner.
Along with this, a proper concession period should also be made in necessary cases for the time of closure of the website. Through this memorandum, it has also been demanded that the decisions taken by the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board in the meeting held on May 30, 2023 should be implemented and the condition of obtaining approval from the Principal Secretary Labor, Government of Punjab for financial assistance of ex-gratia grant in case of death of the beneficiary during the renewal concession period of the beneficiary card should also be withdrawn immediately.
On this occasion, Dr. Nachattar Pal assured that appropriate efforts would be made to resolve the demands of the construction workers on priority basis.