No lockdown relief from govt in Delhi, migrant labourers brace for more hardships

The Central government, in a set of guidelines issued last week, had allowed these migrant workers to begin work from April 20, however, leaving the final decision of implementation on the state governments.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday clarified that no relaxation in lockdown rules will be provided for migrant labourers to go back to work in the city after April 20, triggering worry among outstation workers, some of who are down to their last rupee.

Migrant workers walk on the WEH at Bhayander with their families as they return to their villages, during nationwide lockdown to lift the spreading of coronavirus in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, April 19, 2020. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

The Central government, in a set of guidelines issued last week, had allowed these migrant workers to begin work from April 20, however, leaving the final decision of implementation on the state governments.

The Delhi government on Sunday said it will not implement the guideline, as the number of Covid-19 positive cases were rising in the state.

On Sunday, 35-year-old Mithun Kumar, a labourer who works for the Public Works Department (PWD) projects, opened his torn wallet to show two currency notes of ₹ 20. “This is all I have left. This epidemic has left me with nothing,” he said..

Like Kumar, many construction workers, self-employed electricians, plumbers, carpenters and mechanics that HT spoke to said they were waiting for Monday, hoping they will be able to finally resume work after nearly a month. However, the Delhi government’s decision had left them dejected and in dire straits.

“Our contractor has not given us our dues yet. He keeps saying that he will pay us when he has money. We can’t work and we can’t even go back home,” Kumar said.

At the Barapulla Phase-3 construction site opposite Mayur Vihar, dozens of labourers sat playing cards, most of them unaware of Delhi government’s decision.

“Even if construction work is allowed to begin, many of us will not stay. We will go home once the train services resume,” said Dileep Dev Sharma from West Bengal.

These men said that their contractors has given them an assurance of payment for the time they weren’t working, but they haven’t been paid anything since March 10.

Not only workers, but government agencies are also worried that the ban on construction work will only result in the delay of infrastructure projects. At present, at least five government projects are under construction only in south Delhi’s Chattarpur, for which 1,000 to 1,200 labourers have been kept in-situ.

“This is a health emergency but stopping work would not just mean that the project deadlines will extend by several months. It will lead to heavy cost escalations too,” said a senior PWD official.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which is also undertaking construction of phase-4, said that they will abide by the government order and no construction activity will be undertaken until further orders.