Air pollution is a major issue in Delhi, and every year, during winter or the weeks leading up to it, a temporary ban on construction work is announced as a measure to reduce the intensity of the problem. But what is the impact of this on construction workers? To what extent does the compensatory payment provided by the government help? Bharat Dogra asked several workers these questions. Many construction workers he interactd with wanted to know why a work ban is being imposed for several weeks, or even months, each year
Rakesh, Bharat and Gopal all live in Shahbad Dairy Colony in outer Delhi. They have been running from pillar to post trying to get the compensatory payment of Rs 8,000 announced for the two ban periods in 2024, but have not received anything so far. Rakesh says he had worked hard in the earlier part of the year to save a little, but that little was exhausted during the recent ban period. He does not dare to take any further loans, as he has already taken one at a high interest rate for medical treatment.
Every winter has brought similar problems for construction workers during the past few years. In some families, there is a problem of hunger, while others face depletion of their already meager supplies. Bharat and Gopal say they have not received compensatory payment either this year or in previous years. In fact, Bharat did not receive the announced relief even during the COVID lockdown days. Workers at these colonies are in general trying hard to access the recently announced compensatory payments, but in most cases they are disappointed. They are unclear whether the amount announced is for both ban periods, or whether a second amount will be announced in due course.
One reason why the payments made using the funds of the Delhi Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board are not received by most genuine construction workers is that the number of workers under the latest active registration of the Board has come down significantly compared to earlier registrations, and are much less than the actual number of construction workers in Delhi. The efforts of the government to reach out to workers appear to be confined to the actively registered ones at the present time and, therefore, a big majority is left uncovered.
Secondly, due to procedural issues, incomplete records or bank account-related issues, even some of the actively registered workers may be left out. And thirdly, due to corruption, several persons who are not construction workers have got themselves registered as such, to avail of benefits, and may get the compensatory payment while genuine construction workers are deprived of it.
Another important issue is that these compensatory payments are being made from welfare funds of workers, meant for the Board to support pensions, education scholarships etc. In other words, the welfare funds collected by the Board are being emptied for work closure compensation, instead of drawing the same from funds set apart for disaster management or pollution reduction. As a result, the already very poor performance of the Board with respect to welfare support for workers is likely to be weakened further. The special pollution reduction plan should provide the necessary funds. To protect workers from debt and hunger, the work ban compensation programme needs to be significantly improved, so that all genuine construction workers will be benefitted, quickly.
Many construction workers, including masons, point out that most of their work is non-polluting, and want to know why a work ban is being imposed for several weeks, or even months, each year. Subhash Bhatnagar, who played an important role campaigning for welfare laws and then struggled in courts to improve their implementation, says there are court orders prohibiting blanket bans, and saying only the polluting aspects of the work should be stopped for certain periods. Despite this, the ban is implemented in arbitrary ways. Workers are afraid to take up even non-polluting jobs during the ban period, as fines have been known to be imposed, and even tools seized from those perceived to be flouting the ban.
On the other hand, pollution needs to be understood more widely. In the colonies which this writer visited to speak to construction workers, the dirt and garbage were all-pervasive. The residents, particularly the women, complained that clearing this was not being prioritised although it would significantly contribute to pollution reduction. While these worker households also face the hazards of air pollution, the hazards from the dirt and garbage surrounding them are likely to be even bigger.
(The writer is a senior freelance journalist and author who has been associated with several social movements and initiatives. He lives in New Delhi.)
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