Supreme Court Mandates Compensation for NCR Construction Workers Impacted by Pollution Measures

The Supreme Court has instructed Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to compensate construction workers affected by closures due to anti-pollution measures in Delhi-NCR. The compensation should be paid from labor cess funds, even without specific court orders, benefiting thousands of workers across the states.

The Supreme Court has issued a directive to the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, insisting on the payment of compensation to construction workers who endure work suspensions as a result of anti-pollution measures in the Delhi-NCR region.

The court, via a bench including Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, emphasized that funds collected as labor cess should be utilized for this purpose, irrespective of specific court orders. The anti-pollution initiatives, under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), are triggered by the air quality levels in Delhi-NCR.

As of recent updates, significant compensation payments have been made across these states, though some processes remain underway. The court has demanded strict adherence to subsistence allowance payouts to ease the burden on the affected workforce.

(With inputs from agencies.)