Delhi govt to pay ₹10,000 to workers hit by Grap curbs: Labour Minister

Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra said the compensation would be provided to workers impacted during the period Grap III remained in force, which lasted 16 days

The Delhi government on Wednesday announced a compensation of ₹10,000 for construction workers who lost work due to the implementation of pollution-control measures under Grap III and Grap IV.

 

Addressing a press conference, Labour Minister Kapil Mishra said the compensation would be provided to workers impacted during the period Grap III remained in force, which lasted 16 days. 

 

He added that similar compensation would be extended for the duration Grap IV stays in effect.

 

“Following the instructions of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ji, the Labour Ministry has taken two decisions in the context of pollution. ₹10,000 compensation will be transferred to the accounts of all verified labourers in Delhi so that workers do not suffer financial loss due to Grap III and IV,” Mishra said.

 

 

He clarified that the benefit would be available only to workers registered with the government and said the registration process was currently underway. 

 

“Workers engaged in hospitals, essential services, the fire department and departments directly involved in pollution control have been excluded from the compensation scheme,” said Mishra. 

 

Offices to operate at 50% capacity

 

The minister also announced that all government and private offices in the National Capital Territory of Delhi must operate with no more than 50 per cent staff attending the workplace from Thursday. The remaining employees must work from home, failing which action would be taken.

 

“All private offices functioning within NCT Delhi shall operate with not more than 50 per cent staff at the workplace. The remaining staff shall mandatorily work from home,” Mishra said.

 

Mishra slams AAP

 

Mishra criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for protesting against the government over air pollution. He alleged that previous administrations failed to address the issue and accused the opposition of playing politics.

 

“Their chief minister used to run away during this season, but our chief minister is on the roads. A problem that has persisted for 30 years cannot be solved in five months,” he said.

 

Delhi AQI remains ‘very poor’

 

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded a marginal improvement in air quality on Wednesday morning. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed the overall Air Quality Index at 328 around 8 am, keeping it in the ‘very poor’ category.

 

The reading was slightly better than Tuesday evening, when the AQI stood at 354. However, large parts of the city remained under dense smog.

 

Low visibility also disrupted air travel. At least ten flights were cancelled at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday morning due to poor visibility, news agency PTI reported, citing airport authorities.