Delhi pollution curbs: construction workers protest loss of income

Construction workers in Delhi staged a protest near Raj Niwas on Wednesday, demanding compensation for the loss of income due to the anti-pollution measures.

The workers, under the collective of the Building Workers Union affiliated with the All India Central Council of Trade Unions, met Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena and Labour Department officials and submitted memorandums seeking an increase in their daily wages.

They urged the Delhi government to formulate a policy to compensate them for the livelihood loss caused by the imposition of Graded Response Action Plans every year and sought a 5% budgetary allocation for the welfare of construction workers.

The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas had on November 15 announced several restrictions, including a ban on construction activity, to tackle the air pollution crisis.

A day later, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions wrote to Delhi Labour Minister Mukesh Ahlawat, demanding financial assistance for the affected construction workers.

On November 25, the Supreme Court directed Delhi and adjoining States to “immediately” use the funds collected as cess for the welfare of construction workers and provide them with a “weekly subsistence allowance” for the period during which construction activities remain prohibited.

However, the Delhi government is yet to announce compensation for the affected workers.

An Aam Aadmi Party source said that directions have been given to the Chief Secretary to follow the Supreme Court orders and that the court’s orders will be complied with soon.

‘Process under way’

A source in the government said that the agency concerned — the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) — is working on the court’s directions. However, the panel heading the agency expired in May this year, and a new one is yet to be constituted.

L-G’s role

“The process to constitute a new board, which will decide how much money will be given to workers, is under way,” said the source, adding that as per norms, the L-G will make the appointments.

“However, in the absence of a board, the L-G can direct the disbursal of a certain amount as compensation to the workers,” the source added.

The DBOCWWB is sitting on a corpus of over ₹4,700 crore, as per sources.

It runs 17 welfare schemes and gets funds through the cess collected from construction projects worth over ₹10 lakh.

Published - November 28, 2024 01:18 am IST