Patiala, Sept. 16 -- The Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare (BOCW) Board has disabled a webpage that allowed public access to the personal details of over seven-lakh registered construction workers in the state. The action comes after a Hindustan Times report (7L Punjab workers' data at risk without 2-step verification), published on Monday, exposed a potential data breach that made sensitive information - including bank account details, family particulars, and contact numbers - accessible by simply entering a worker's labour registration number or mobile number on the board's website. Acknowledging the issue, Punjab labour commissioner Rajiv Kumar Gupta said the webpage has been taken down as an immediate security measure. "We have also written to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to urgently implement a two-factor authentication (OTP-based) system to protect workers' data," Gupta said. The security flaw reportedly emerged after the removal of an existing two-step authentication process, though it's unclear who authorised the change. The absence of this crucial security layer left personal data of lakhs of workers vulnerable to misuse. In Punjab, construction workers aged between 18 to 60 years who have completed at least 90 days of work in a year are eligible to register with the BOCW Board. As of now, over 7,00,000 workers are enrolled. Reacting to the development, Sardara Singh, president of the Dr Ambedkar Workers' Union, Punjab, welcomed the move to restore two-factor authentication but demanded accountability. "We appreciate the decision, but strict action should be taken against officials who ordered the removal of the earlier security measures," he said....