Ban comes year after year, but there’s no support for us: Workers at Delhi’s construction sites

An estimated 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh workers person been affected by the prohibition and enactment crossed 600 operation sites has been stopped, said societal activistic and Executive Director of Centre for Holistic Development Sunil Kumar Aledia.

On Wednesday, the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), done its affiliated Building Workers Union, staged a protestation highlighting expanding economical distress and hardships faced by operation workers, peculiarly during the yearly “work stoppage enforced successful the sanction of contamination control”. This comes adjacent arsenic the Supreme Court said respective sections of society, particularly labourers and regular wagers, were adversely affected owed to GRAP-4 and directed authorities governments, wherever operation has been banned, to usage funds collected arsenic labour cess to supply subsistence to them.

For Pal, who is the sole earner successful his household — helium lives with his woman and four-year-old kid successful a rented country successful Tikri — not adjacent a month’s continuous enactment would marque up for the ongoing loss. “Roz kamane-khane wale aadmi hain. Kaam nahi milne se budget bilkul hil gaya hai (I americium a regular earner… The fund has been wholly shaken owed to deficiency of work),” helium said.

Manoj Paswan, a raj mistri, echoed Pal. Having moved to the metropolis successful 2000 from Godda (Jharkhand), helium suffered during the Covid lockdown. “At least, the authorities gave america Rs 5.000 each period then… But during this prohibition that comes twelvemonth aft year, there’s nary support.”

The 43-year-old, who earns astir Rs 700 a day, has a household of 6 — his wife, 3 sons and a girl — to feed. “I’ve sent my younger sons and my girl backmost location to study…” His wife, who has cervical spondylosis, lives with him successful a country successful Nathupur.

Both Pal and Manoj are anxious astir however they volition negociate to wage adjacent month’s rent.

Batti (35) and Ramlu (40), 2 regular labourers, are disquieted astir gathering the aesculapian expenses of their 20-year-old son, Ajay. “He had mislaid his limb connected enactment portion cutting a woody log with an electrical saw 2 years ago,” his parent said.

The mates makes lone Rs 5,000-6,000 a period and lives astatine task sites to prevention up some. However, “the stoppage of enactment is troubling” them. “Bacche ke chakkar mein jyada occupation hai… Kharcha paani chalane mein bhi dikkat ho raha hai. Majdoor aadmi kya karega? (Things person been worse since the ban, owed to my son’s condition… It’s been hard to negociate regular expenses… What tin labourers similar america tin do?)” Batti asked.

In a memorandum submitted to the Lieutenant Governor, Labour Commissioner, and the Labour Ministry, workers astatine the protestation enactment guardant demands for fiscal enactment during enactment stoppages, a argumentation for workers during pollution-control enactment stoppages, dedicated fund for workers’ welfare, and betterment of pending cess from the backstage sector.

The protestation saw the information of operation workers from assorted parts of Delhi. It began with a march from Sushrut Trauma Centre towards the CM’s campy office.

Ravi Rai, the State Secretary of the CPI (ML), deed retired astatine the Delhi authorities for neglecting the payment of its workers portion making hollow promises successful states with upcoming elections.

Vinod Kumar Singh Gautam, AICCTU’s Delhi State President, criticised the Delhi authorities and said the erstwhile assistance of Rs 5,000 was grossly inadequate. Rajeev, President of the Building Workers Union, said workers endure terrible economical consequences during enactment stoppages.

In effect to the protest, the AAP said: “AAP’s Delhi authorities has already directed the Chief Secretary to supply compensation to each operation workers. This volition beryllium based connected minimum wages determined by the Delhi authorities and duration for which operation enactment remains suspended, ensuring extortion of operation workers’ interests.”

It added, “The BJP indispensable beryllium held accountable and instantly disclose the compensation they program to supply to workers who are being straight impacted by the GRAP-IV restrictions.”