Ahmedabad: A labour contractor was fined and checks initiated at a construction site and a labour colony after a raid by senior IAS officer Vipul Mittra.

Mittra, who is the additional chief secretary of Labour and Employment department, raided the project site of PSP Projects on Karnavati Club Road, and a labour colony late on Thursday evening. This was after he spotted a truck carrying labourers, who were neither following social distancing nor wearing masks. Mittra followed the truck to the labour colony and upon realizing that no safety precautions were being taken, he immediately informed the police and labour commissioner about the violations. The police fined Rs. 200 each to eight persons who were not wearing masks, while a notice under Section 188 of IPC was issued to the contractor.

Mittra said that he has directed the Labour Commissioner to check construction sites of PSP Projects and other major sites in Ahmedabad to ensure that necessary safety precautions in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak are being taken.

“The state government takes the safety of workers very seriously. We have also directed the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) to conduct checks at major construction sites and to ascertain whether the mandated safety measures are being complied with or not. We will take strict action, including issuing closure notice, if any sites are found to be taking safety rules lightly,” said Mittra.