The Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh region attracted lots of industries after the announced of the tax incentives by the state in 2003.
While the area is facing infrastructural problems, which has plagued the area for quite some time, the government has also failed to keep a check on the implementation of labour laws in the region.
Officials from the labour office, who pleaded anonymity, ridicule the seriousness of the government on monitoring the implementation of labour laws in the industrial hub of the BBN area.
He said that this is evident from the fact that the labour office, which is supposed to check the implementation of the labour laws in operational industrial units, was opened in 2007 (3 year after industries had inhabited the place).
Prior to the labour office, there was one labour inspector each at Baddi and Nalagarh to monitor the implementation of labour laws, which was not sufficient.
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The officials maintained with just one labour inspector sitting at Baddi, it is virtually impossible to monitor around 700 industrial units in Baddi and Barotiwala region and the absence of official vehicle makes it even more difficult.
They add that with limited staff strength, the labour office more or less has become a place for conciliation between workers and industries or at its best serves the purpose of employment bureau, but has failed to discharge its other duty related to the implementation of labour laws.
The officials maintain that in absence of staff they are unable to conduct surprise raids in industrial units to keep a check on the implementation of labour laws and it only when grievance against particular industrial unit is highlighted by the workers the labour office actually conducts a raid.
The government issued notification regarding hiking the minimum wages to Rs 3,000. Even though the industries in the BBN area has been claiming that they are adhering to the government notification but with shortage of staff, the officials say they cannot conduct surprise raids, to check whether the minimum wages are being given or not.
The officials maintain that only when the requisite strength is made available in the labour office, the office would be in a position to discharge its duties effectively.