Stop memo issued to construction sites in Ernakulam

KOCHI: The Labour Officer (Enforcement), Ernakulam, on Tuesday conducted checking at the construction sites allegedly functioning without proper safety measures and issued stop memo to one such site at Edappally.

The inspection was conducted by a squad led by V B Biju, Labour Officer (Enforcement), as per the directive of the Regional Joint Labour Commissioner. A construction site at Edappally has been asked to stop the work after finding severe lapses in the safety norms. It was found no safety barricade was placed at the construction site. Similarly, safety belts and helmets were not provided to the workers. Also, the workers were not paid proper wages.

The Labour officer said the checking was conducted to ensure the safety of the workers as well as the people residing near the construction site. The department has no intention to trouble the building owners and contractors, the officer said. He said the inspection will continue in the coming days.

All construction works carried out without safety precautions will be stopped and the permission for resuming work will be given only after rectification of issues. This year alone, three migrant workers died after falling off high-rises. More often, migrant workers are the victims, which make it easy for the builders to hush up the matter.