Construction workers deprived of daily wages

The Delhi High Court Thursday asked the Centre and the AAP government why the funds collected for welfare of construction workers are not used to pay daily wages to them every time construction activities are banned in the city. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A J Bhambhani said thousands of crores are collected as cess from builders and consumers for welfare of employees, but the governments are "not giving a penny" to the labourers. "You (governments) stop or ban construction activity and the labourers are left without work. You have collected thousands of crores as building cess, but you don't give a penny out of it to the labourers who are starving," it said. "Why should the state and the central government be not fastened with the liability? What are you doing with all that money? Both the central government and the government of National Capital Territory of Delhi have to answer," the bench said. Besides, the court also asked the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board why funds collected under the BOCW (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, and the BOCW Welfare Cess Act, 1996, cannot be used to pay the labourers who are deprived of their daily wages when construction activity is stopped on government or court directions. The Central Pollution Control Board and the Environment Protection (Prevention and Control) Authority for Delhi-NCR have also been asked to indicate their stand on the matter. With the direction, the court listed the matter for further hearing on August 6.