Haryana

• 04 Mar 2025

Compensation to Construction Workers

Why in News? 

The Supreme Court ordered Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to compensate construction workers whenever Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) measures in Delhi-NCR halt activities, even without a specific court directive. 

 Key Points 

• Compensation Payment: 
  • The Supreme Court directed that compensation must be paid using funds collected as labour cess. 
  • Compensation should be disbursed even in the absence of a specific court order. 
• GRAP and Air Quality Measures: 
  • GRAP measures are implemented based on the average air quality in Delhi-NCR to curb pollution levels. 
  • The court reaffirmed that compensation must be paid whenever construction activities are halted due to GRAP measures in 2024 and 2025. 
• State-wise Compensation Details: 
  • Haryana paid compensation to: 
    • 2,68,759 workers in the first phase of GRAP-4. 
    • 2,24,881 workers in the second phase. 
    • Around 95,000 workers are in the process of receiving compensation for January 2025. 
  • Delhi disbursed compensation to 93,272 workers, while the verification process for remaining registered workers is ongoing. 
  • Rajasthan compensated 3,197 workers. 
  • Uttar Pradesh paid compensation to: 
    • 4,88,246 workers in phase 1. 
    • 4,84,157 workers in phase 2. 
    • 691 workers in phase 3. 
• Registration and Union Meetings: 
  • The court directed the Delhi government to convene meetings with workers' unions to ensure proper registration of construction workers. 
  • Similar directions were issued to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, covering: 
    • 14 districts in Haryana 
    • 8 districts in Uttar Pradesh 
    • 2 districts in Rajasthan (Bharatpur and Alwar) 
• Accountability of NCR States: 
  • On 2 December 2024, the court asked Chief Secretaries of NCR States to appear via video conferencing to confirm whether subsistence allowance was paid to workers affected by work stoppages. 
  • Significance: 
    • The order reinforces the right to compensation for vulnerable workers during environmental curbs. 
    • It ensures financial security for labourers affected by pollution control measures. 

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) 

• About: 
  • GRAP is a set of emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region. 
  • It was approved by the Supreme Court in 2016 after the Supreme Court’s order in the matter of M. C. Mehta vs. Union of India (2016) and notified in 2017. 
• Implementation: 
  • From 2021 onwards, the GRAP is being implemented by the CAQM. 
    • Till 2020, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) used to order States to implement GRAP measures. 
  • The EPCA was dissolved and replaced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in 2020. 
  • CAQM relies on air quality and meteorological forecasts by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).