Regulation of placement agencies soon, court told

The city government Monday informed the Delhi High Court that an executive order for regularising placement agencies operating in the capital has been passed and will soon be implemented.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw asked the government to implement the order passed on Sep 25 as soon as possible, as it disposed of the PIL filed by an NGO seeking regularisation of placement agencies.

The PIL filed by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan through senior advocate H.S. Phoolka had said that girls were being trafficked in the guise of placement agencies.

The Delhi government's move came after the bench had summoned labour secretary for its failure to implement the court's December 2013 order where it had asked the city government to issue an executive direction to register all placement agencies and maintain salary records of employees.

The Delhi government earlier submitted that it was waiting for the Delhi Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Bill to be passed, which will regulate agencies that supply domestic help.

This executive directive was to remain in force till the bill was passed.

In its plea, the NGO earlier said that many of the illegal placement agencies often lure poor people from remote corners of states such as West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.