Now, you can report unregistered factories, construction sites in MP as ‘Shram Prahari

Bhopal: Citizens can now report unregistered factories and construction sites in Madhya Pradesh as “Shram Prahari” or Labour Watchdogs through a toll-free helpline.

The Labour department on May 27 made public the online list of currently operating registered construction projects, highly hazardous factories, and other factories on its portal labour.mp.gov.in.

Citizens can check the list and verify registrations. If any establishment or construction site is found unregistered, people can report it confidentially on the labour helpline. Based on the information, the department will inspect the site and take legal and punitive action, the government said.

The objective is to ensure safe working conditions and social security for workers, it added. Registration with the Labour department is mandatory for all establishments and construction sites to enable workers to access welfare schemes.

Based on information received from citizens, the labour dept will inspect the concerned sites and take necessary legal and punitive action, govt added.

The Factories Act, 1948 provides that any premises where 20 or more workers are engaged in manufacturing activities, with or without the use of electrical power, must obtain a licence from the chief inspector of factories.

Additionally, under the building and other construction workers (regulation of employment and conditions of service) Act, 1996, it is the employer’s responsibility to mandatorily inform the labour dept before commencing any type of construction work.

There are strict legal provisions against employers who fail to register their establishments. In the case of factories, penalties may include a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Similarly, failure to register construction sites may result in a fine of Rs 2,000, imprisonment for up to three months, or both, the govt stated.

The dept has cautioned all employers to ensure immediate registration of their establishments and construction works to avoid any punitive action.