Anti-Pollution Measures in Delhi Threaten Livelihoods of Daily Wage Workers

New Delhi:  Daily wage workers in construction are bearing brunt of restrictions imposed in Delhi-NCR to combat worsening air quality, with ir livelihoods brought to a standstill.

Workers who rely on daily earnings for survival expressed fear that ir children may starve due to halt in work.

Under current GRAP-IV measures, construction and demolition activities (C&D) are prohibited following reports of "severe-plus" air quality in certain areas of Delhi, with AQI levels exceeding 450.

Suman, a 45-year-old mor of two, says, “If we sit at home, what will we eat? What will we feed our children?” She recently renewed her labour card in hopes of receiving government aid, but she says it has been a futile exercise. "We don’t have government jobs where salaries come automatically. We survive on daily earnings, and without work, we have nothing,” she ds.

A thick grey haze engulfed national capital on Tuesday, with AQI soaring to 488. Delhi's air quality plummeted to ‘severe plus’ category on Sunday, prompting authorities to impose Stage IV measures under Gred Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Monday.

measures include prohibiting construction and demolition activities, limiting truck entries to those carrying essential goods or using clean fuel, and closing schools. Offices have also been ordered to make justments for ir employees.

For Babu Ram, a 63-year-old construction worker, ban on C&D activities has exacerbated an alrey dire financial situation. He has a wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchild to support, besides having to deal with a debt of Rs 3 lakh.

“re’s no pension for people like me. Schemes like Lli Behna are riddled with corruption, middlemen take everything and we get nothing,” he says. “If I can’t work, my family won’t survive.” Similarly, Rajesh Kumar, a 42-year-old labourer, says his family in his village in Bihar depends on money he sends home.

“I have not married yet because I have several responsibilities, including my sister’s wedding, which has left me with a debt of Rs 6 lakh,” he says.

“This happens every year, pollution cripples Delhi, but inste of solving problem, government creates more hurdles for people like us," he ds.

(with agency inputs)