HC rejects Guj firm's plea against Centre's order on contract

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a Gujarat company's plea against the Centre's notification prohibiting it from employing contract workers for mining limestone for catering to soda ash industry.
"The challenge to the impugned notification is without any merit. The writ petition is accordingly dismissed without any order as to costs," Justice V Kameswar Rao said.
The bench, citing relevant provision of the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, said, "The impugned notification which prohibits contract labour are those activities which are carried out in a 'mine'. For the purpose of mines it is the central government which is competent."

Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd, in which Gujarat government holds 18.02 per cent shares through its Gujarat Industrial Investment Corporation, is the manufacturer of soda ash and employs around 1200 contract labours in its captive mines.
Contract workers do raising, breaking and sizing of limestone and its transportation from the mines to the factory of GHCL.
The JV, pursuant to the 1993 notification, received a notice in the same year from the Labour Enforcement Officer, Central, Rajkot, asking it to stop employing contract workers in its limestone mines.
Besides challenging the notification, the firm had sought a direction to the Centre that the order of not employing contractual workers in mines not be made applicable on it. The plea was dismissed.