Poor living conditions of labourers hired by SDMC irks HC

The "pitiable" living conditions of labourers working on an SDMC project in a post south Delhi colony earned the ire of the Delhi High Court which today directed the official-in-charge of the work to be personally present on the next date of hearing.

"We are going to celebrate Republic Day in a few days and this is how you treat the public," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said while pulling up the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) for not clearing the 'malba' (rubble) from the site at Greater Kailash Part I, apart from not providing "decent and reasonable accommodation" to the workers.
 

"They are your workers. How can you treat them like this? How can you make them live like this? They are living like animals. Look at their living conditions. Conducive habitable accommodation has not been provided to them.

"They should have been given a decent place to live. We are going to celebrate Republic Day in a few days and this is how you treat the public," the court said after perusing photographs of the site filed by the petitioner.

"Look at the photographs. You are creating a nullah (drain) over a nullah. Why are you not clearing the rubble? Is this the way you treat the people and Delhi? I have half-a- mind to order that the rubble be picked up and put in the houses of the officials concerned," the court said and added, "You (SDMC) are a government authority and you cannot shirk your responsibility."

The judge then directed that the SDMC's executive dngineer, who is in-charge of the work, be personally present before the court on the next date of hearing on January 25, saying, "I am concerned over conditions created for workers there. Let him come. He is sitting in an air-conditioned office."

During the proceedings, advocate Rajan Tyagi for SDMC said the labourers were of the contractor who has been engaged to carry out the work there.

He said the work was related to covering of the drain there and to repair the road which caved in after a wall of the drain had collapsed.

The photographs were filed by the petitioner, a resident of the area, as part of his application to remove the labourers from the area.