Delhi govt allots ₹350 crore to support construction workers hit by ban

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the Delhi government is standing with construction workers at every step

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Saturday said that financial assistance worth ₹350 crores will be provided to the registered construction workers in the city.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had reimposed the ban on construction activities in Delhi-NCR until further orders. Non-polluting construction activities such as plumbing work, interior decoration, electrical work and carpentry are allowed. (Ajay Aggarwal /HT PHOTO)

A senior government official said that the livelihood of construction workers has been affected due to the closure of construction activities in Delhi. “Delhi government will provide assistance of ₹5,000 each to all 7 lakh registered construction workers and ₹350 crore has been allotted for this. The assistance amount has already deposited to the accounts of around 2.95 lakh construction workers on Saturday. The amount will be sent to the accounts of the remaining workers in the next two days,” the official said.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had reimposed the ban on construction activities in Delhi-NCR until further orders. Non-polluting construction activities such as plumbing work, interior decoration, electrical work and carpentry are allowed. The apex court had also asked authorities to use funds collected as labour cess for the welfare of construction workers to provide them subsistence for the duration of the ban.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the Delhi government is standing with construction workers at every step. “Workers are the spinal cord which strengthens the country. The interests of the workers are the main priority of our government. In Delhi construction activities have been stopped but the Delhi government will assist them in every possible way,” said Sisodia.

Sisodia added that the government will run registration drives through large-scale camps in Delhi. “There are 10 lakh construction workers in Delhi, out of which 7 lakh are now registered. With the help of these registration drives, the government will also register the remaining construction workers with the board. This way all the workers can benefit from the schemes introduced for the welfare of the workers,” deputy chief minister stated.

A government official said that around six lakh workers are registered with the Delhi Construction Worker Board and about 1 lakh workers are under the process of registration. “After the registration of the workers whose registration is currently in process, the amount of ₹5000 will be sent to their accounts after completion of registration,” he added.