NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Central Public Works Department regarding the Central Vista redevelopment project directing it to follow the guidelines of the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act.The notice has been issued directing the agencies to follow the norms of the Act and other rules concerning the rights of construction workers. In the same order, India Trade Promotion Organisation has also been issued notice for the same concerns at the Pragati Maidan redevelopment project.
It has also directed the secretary of Delhi’s labour department to convene a meeting with the CPWD, ITPO and the petitioners to resolve any other issues. A petition filed by social worker Sunil Kumar Aledia has sought directions to all contractors and sub-contractors of the Central Vista and Pragati Maidan redevelopment project to duly comply with their obligations under the BOCW Act and ensure that all relevant provisions regarding filing of returns, details of construction workers etc. are duly filed by
the contractors with the concerned authorities.
Central Vista redevelopment is one of the biggest revamp projects taken in Lutyens’ Delhi area around Rajpath. The project aims to revamp the area between Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate, and convert North and South Blocks to publicly accessible museums by creating a new common Central Secretariat to house all ministries. According to the petitioner, almost 5,000-6,000 construction workers are employed at this project.
The Delhi government has been pulled by the court on many occasions in the past over lack of registration of construction workers with the BOCW Act, which makes them eligible for many welfare schemes and protect them from construction agencies harassment, after which the government had even launched two special construction worker registration campaigns in the national capital.