Section 18: Liability of principal employer in certain cases

(1) If any allowance required to be paid under section 14 or section 15 to an inter-State migrant workman employed in an establishment to which this Act applies is not paid by the contractor or if any facility specified in section 16 is not provided for the benefit of such workman, such allowance shall be paid, or, as the case may be, the facility shall be provided, by the principal employer within such time as may be prescribed.

(2) All the allowances paid by the principal employer or all the expenses incurred by him in providing the facility referred to in sub-section (1) may be recovered by him from the contractor either by deduction from any amount payable to the contractor under any contract or as a debt payable by the contractor.