Archit Watts Muktsar, September 19 It sounds strange, but true. The lone Labour Inspector of Muktsar district has been on leave for the past about a month, but the Labour Department has not given the additional charge to any other officer so far. As a result, not just traders but the routine departmental work is also getting affected. A local resident, who wants to start a new venture, said: “We have to get mandatory registration done under the Shops and Commercial Establishment Act. I have been making rounds of the office of the Labour Department at the district administrative complex (DAC) for the past one month, but the officer concerned is on leave. A clerk is sitting in the office, but not empowered to clear the file. Senior department officials also don’t respond to phone calls. Further, contact numbers of senior officers mentioned on the Labour Department’s official website are not working.” He said, “In such a situation, our work is getting delayed. We have filled the forms and completed the formalities as well. Now, we are left with no other option but to file a petition in the court.” On this, when contacted, Raj Kumar Garg, Assistant Labour Commissioner, Moga, said, “The Labour Inspector of Muktsar district has availed leave for next few months. She availed leave about a month ago and at that time, we had written to the high-ups to give the additional charge to someone else, but official orders in this regard are yet to come. Now, we will again write to the Labour Commissioner to give the additional charge of Muktsar to some officer.” He added, “The department is facing a shortage of staff. For instance, just one Labour Inspector is posted in Muktsar district against the sanctioned two posts.” Meanwhile, repeated attempts to contact Vimal Kumar Setia, Labour Commissioner, Punjab, proved futile. Even the telephone numbers mentioned on the department’s website were found incorrect.

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