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Deliver food to labourers at construction sites or face action, Noida authority tells developers
NOIDA:
NOIDA:
Amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown, the Noida authority on Tuesday directed all real estate developers to provide essential commodities such as food and medicines to migrant construction workers at their respective sites in the city on a daily basis. If the realtors fail to follow the directions, they will have to face legal action, officials said.
The move comes after the authority realized that some developers are not taking care of construction workers staying at their sites properly. According to the authority officials, about 50,000 labourers are staying at various construction sites in sectors 150, 143, 117, 118, 122, and 78, among others.
The authority has issued instructions to builders in accordance with the guidelines of the UP government, which state that all the developers in the state will have to take care of the labourers rendered jobless after the 21-day lockdown came into force, the officials said.
“Construction work at many builders’ sites was underway when the lockdown was announced. So, many construction workers got stuck at the sites in the city. And they are facing problems to get food and other essential services. In view of Covid -19 pandemic crisis, it is the responsibility of the respective builder to provide essential services to these workers during lockdown. Those who do not obey these guidelines will face legal action,” said Ritu Maheshwari, chief executive officer of the Noida authority.
In Noida, there are at least 100 housing projects where construction was underway, and labourers are living at the sites. Some big builders are providing food at the sites to labourers, but others are not providing food and other required essential services, said the officials.
“The builder should ensure that construction labourers get food in morning and evening regularly till the lockdown is lifted,” said Maheshwari.
The Noida authority has written to builders’ groups -- Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai) and National Real Estate Development Council (Naredco) -- in order to ensure compliance of the instructions of the government. The authority has directed Credai to inform each member to follow instructions to avoid legal action.
The builders’ body said that most of the developers are already providing food to the labourers. “We are regularly providing food to around 3,000 construction labourers daily at different sites. But we will ask those, who are not doing it, to do the same,” said RK Arora, chairman of Supertech Limited and member of Credai. Arora is also the president of UP chapter of Naredco.
The Credai president for Western UP wing, Prashant Tiwari, said, “We will pass on the authority message to all builders for compliance. However, most of us are doing it already.”
The Noida authority, with the help of the police and local volunteers, are providing food to the needy regularly since the lockdown started, the officials said.
