Construction Workers and the Air Pollution in Delhi

Poulluted killer fog in Delhi

Sucheta De

[Construction Workers Bearing the Economic Burden of the Toxic Air Pollution Created by Pro-Rich, Pro-Corporate Policy Regime: Excerpts from Delhi]

Delhi has been declared as the most polluted city in the country in terms of air pollution. Heavy smog associated with the situation of breathlessness and nausea define early winter days in the city every year. It is needless to argue that an urban centric economic model that promotes unequal consumption patterns by different sections of the urban society associated with agricultural distress in rural India has formed the basis of the yearly early winter toxicity in Delhi’s air quality. While local geographical factors such as wind flow during this time of the year, winter induced temperature inversion at lower levels of the atmosphere and other factors contribute to the seasonal surge in pollutants, the huge supply of polluting materials has to be attributed to the profit-centric economic and development policy regime. 

The mainstream media had time and again attempted to blame stubble burning by farmers of Punjab as the main cause of pollution in Delhi to provide an escape route for today’s rulers who have only addressed the issue of climate crisis and pollution when it becomes impossible for citizens to keep their head above water. But facts speak louder than propaganda. Several studies by credible environment watch institutes like the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have substantially proved that stubble burning constitutes a minuscule percentage of the source of pollution in cities like Delhi in recent years. It is to be added that the number of farmers who engage in stubble burning is decreasing hugely every year. 

While wind flow patterns cause inflow of air from neighbouring areas towards Delhi, studies by CSE have shown that local sources of pollution inside Delhi constitute around half of the polluting material during the month of November. Among the local sources of pollution, vehicular transmission constitutes around 51% of the pollution. The city is experiencing a 15.6% growth rate in private vehicles. The main reason behind it is the abysmal situation of public transport. There are just 45 buses per 100,000 residents in the city. Neither the central government nor the state government who compete to stake claim over the city’s administration and politics have any interest in revamping the public transport infrastructure. 

Particulate matter coming out from construction and demolition activities, industrial emission and landfill burning constitute other major sources. It is a  well known fact that factories inside Delhi are allowed to run without proper licence and compliance with the Factories Act. Dozens of deaths of workers in factory fires every year has become a regular occurrence. Despite continuous intervention by Trade Unions demanding enforcement of labour and environmental laws on the factories, no steps are taken either by the labour department or the government. In the absence of a sustainable waste management plan, the landfills around the city are burnt. 

Health Hazard and Economic Distress

The Unequal Burden of Pollution on Working Class

While the toxic air pollution affects human bodies irrespective of their social location, it is the working class and economically deprived section of the city that is forced to be at the forefront of inhaling the toxicity as they are devoid of the luxury of dignified housing, air purifiers or work from home facilities. Yet, only the working class is forced to bear the economic burden of pollution that has primarily been generated by a policy regime that has resulted in the richest one percent of Indians amassing forty percent of the country’s wealth. Just like demonetisation and lockdown, air pollution has become another opportunity for the government to force the working class to go income less without proper compensation for pollution. 

As Delhi’s AQI remained above 450 for several days from mid-November, the Graded Response Action Plan-4 was put in place from 18th November. Although the AQI has improved to below 300 and GRAP 2 is in place right now, ban on the construction activities continue. It is now almost a month that the construction workers of Delhi are out of job. Millions of construction workers who gather in different labour chowks of the city in search of jobs every morning are returning home without any work. 

Intervention by AICCTU Demanding Compensation 

The Building Workers’ Union (affiliated to AICCTU) held a protest demonstration at the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi on 27th November demanding - 

  • Compensation for construction workers at the rate of current minimum wages.
  • Compensation to all construction workers irrespective of their status of registration.
  • Action against labour departments for cancelling registration of thousands of construction workers citing lack of verification by the employer.
  • Decision on adequate compensation in consultation with Central Trade Unions.
  • Action against corrupt pro-employer actions by the labour departments.


Hundreds of construction workers from different parts of the city participated in the protest. A memorandum of above Charter of Demands was submitted to the office of the Lieutenant Governor and State Labour Commissioner. Subsequently, other trade unions also intervened, demanded adequate compensation and halting of the cancellation of registration by the labour department. The Supreme Court issued a directive to the government to ensure proper measures to curb the pollution and to ensure ‘sustenance allowances’ to construction workers.

After more than 15 days of ban on construction work, the Delhi Building and Other Workers Welfare Board issued a directive to grant Rs 8000 as an ex gratia amount to the registered construction workers. 

Inadequate Compensation, Exclusionary Implementation Mechanism 

Fight against Anti-Worker Attitude of Welfare Board Continues

While the Construction Workers Welfare Board was forced to act under pressure from the Union, the demand for paying compensation at the rate of current minimum wages was not paid heed to. It is to be noted that an unskilled construction worker is entitled to Rs 11,745 for a loss of work for 15 days in Delhi if the compensation was paid at the rate of current minimum wages. 

Moreover, the question of access to compensation remains unanswered. After facing the wrath of the workers, the Office of the Secretary-Cum-Commissioner (Labour) of Delhi held a meeting with representatives of trade unions on 6th December. The labour department informed the union representatives that 90,759 live registered members will be given the ex-gratia compensation. It was also informed that the portal will be reopened for new registrations. 

While the collective pressure generated by unions have forced the Construction Workers Board to initiate registration again, the glaring truth of lapse of registration of huge majority of construction workers stare at our face. To quote the affidavit filed in Delhi High Court on November 27 by Sunil Adelia, “As per most recent data available on the DBOCWWB website, the total number of registered construction workers stands at 13,77,281, of which 88,256 are live members, and 10,512 are active beneficiaries. Additionally, 12,89,025 membership got lapsed, and 6,85,464 applications for renewal have been received, of which only 5,03,246 have been approved to date.”  The huge number of lapsed registration manifests the anti-worker attitude of today’s governance that excludes beneficiaries from accessing even the paltry amount disbursed by the government. 

It is now the task of the unions to ensure registration of the workers with the welfare board as well as to fight against the exclusionary attitude of the labour administration.