For construction workers in Delhi, survival matters more than air pollution 

The ban on construction activity in Delhi-NCR by authorities as a measure to tackle the air pollution crisis has hit the blue-collar workers hard.

With almost no jobs, the labourers, who are generally migrants and survive on daily wages, are either thinking of returning home or picking up odd jobs. Some are even playing a cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement agencies as they continue to work at the sites despite the ban.

As the air quality dropped to ‘severe’ last week, the fourth or the highest stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), set of measures to combat air pollution, was imposed, banning all construction activity.

Back to hinterlands

Jagarnath Mandal, a 32-year-old construction worker from the Sitamarhi district of Bihar, is repenting his decision to return to Delhi after celebrating Chhath Puja. Mr. Mandal, who lives on rent in a slum dwelling in south Delhi and needs to earn at least ₹500 per day to sustain his family in this metropolis, has been facing difficulty in finding work.

Another worker living in the same area, Mahavir, said he would return to his home in Ajmer, Rajasthan, since little work was left to sustain. “As construction work is difficult to find, I’m trying to take other jobs like playing in a band during wedding processions,” the 28-year-old labourer said. He has four children and is trying to make ends meet with the little he earns.

‘Hide-and-seek’

Several workers have been staying inside an enclosure at an under-construction residential building in Kailash Colony in south Delhi, covered on all sides with temporary tin walls.

“When authorities come knocking, they [labourers] pretend to be just staying here and not working,” said the guard, who did not wish to be identified.

“Labourers here depend on daily wages. They are taking the risk of getting caught as they don’t have any other option. If they knew about the ban in advance, many would have returned to their hometowns,” he asserted.

Casting doubt on the imposition of “stringent bans on other activities” as well, the guard said he could still hear the bursting of firecrackers at night. “Here people are working, but authorities still have an issue with it,” he said.

However, at Sarai Kale Khan in south-east Delhi, the construction work for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project is under way. A worker, on condition of anonymity, said he has been on the job for the past 15 days. “Nobody has told us to stop as yet. I do not know about any ban, but if they [authorities] halt the work, I will have no other option but to return to my hometown,” the labourer from Ranchi in Jharkhand said.

A spokesperson of National Capital Region Transport Corporation, the public sector company owing RRTS, said the project comes under “essential services” and are exempted from the GRAP-IV curbs. “We are using anti-smog guns and following pollution-related protocols,” the spokesperson added.

‘Financial assistance’

Meanwhile, an NGO working on the issue of rights and livelihood of blue-collar workers, has sought monetary help for the affected labourers from the Delhi government. Sunil Kumar Aledia, who heads the Centre for Holistic Development, said he has written to the government asking for ₹5,000 financial assistance for each construction worker. “I am writing to request financial assistance for construction workers affected by the recent ban on construction activities in Delhi due to pollution concerns. As you are aware, this ban has left many workers without a source of income,” read the letter addressed to Chief Minister Atishi and others.

Published - November 25, 2024 01:18 am IST