Haryana govt allows construction work on small sites with 10 or less workers

A directive issued by labour department, late on Saturday night, stated that no permission would be required for these projects to resume, provided that the social distancing norms are observed and the standard operating procedure is followed.

In order to ensure that migrant labourers get work, the Haryana government has allowed the resumption of work on small construction and industrial construction sites where the number of workers is 10 or less, provided that these sites fall outside the containment zones.

A district administration spokesperson said that work can be resumed at those sites, where labourers are already staying. (Yogendra Kumar/HT file photo)

A directive issued by labour department, late on Saturday night, stated that no permission would be required for these projects to resume, provided that the social distancing norms are observed and the standard operating procedure is followed.

It is estimated that this decision will help at least 2,500 builder floors and housing projects spread across various sectors of the Haryana Sahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and private licenced colonies in the city, said officials. At majority of these sites, the labourers either are staying on the site or at a short distance from the site, officials added.

The order issued by the labour department stated, “No permission will be required for small residential/industrial construction sites employing up to 10 workers only within the limit of municipal corporations, municipalities and rural areas where workers are available on site and no workers are brought from outside (sic).”

Ramesh Singla, president, Gurugram Home Developers and Plot Holders Association, said that this was a positive decision and could help kick-start real estate industry in a big way. “A large number of contractors are taking care of their workers amid the lockdown and this is proving to be a big financial burden for them. It is important the work starts on these sites but the administration need to bring more clarity on this and help to smoothen out the resumption of work,” he added.

A district administration spokesperson said that work can be resumed at those sites, where labourers are already staying. “The construction sites will have to be sanitised and disinfected regularly. Workers will have to wear masks and maintain social distancing during work,” he added.

Meanwhile, the developers and contractors, who are operating such construction sites in various parts of the city said that they would wait for some time before resuming work. “The work can only be started if construction materials, such as sand, stones, tiles and cement, are available. Right now, it does not seem that these materials would be available easily. As such, we have decided to wait till May 3,” said Pramod Kumar, a contractor in Palam Vihar, who runs 11 small sites and has 80 workers working under him.

Kumar said that he has been providing food and dry ration to the workers during the lockdown. “We want things to settle down a bit,” he said.