PIL In Delhi HC Seeks CBI Probe Into Alleged Misappropriation Of Welfare Funds Meant For Building Construction Workers

A PIL has been filed by an NGO before the Delhi High Court seeking CBI probe into an alleged misappropriation of Delhi Cess fund worth crores which is exclusively meant for benefit of the registered building and construction workers in the national capital.

The petition has been filed by Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Smriti Sansthan (PDUSS), an NGO, which stated that Delhi Cess fund has collected approximately Rs.3200/- crores.

This is being managed by the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCW Welfare Board) headed by the Minister of Labour, Govt. of NCT of Delhi.

Filed through Advocates R Balaji and Yogesh Pachauri, the petition alleged that during COVID-19 lockdown, the Delhi Government had announced that Rs.5000/- per month will be transferred to the accounts of registered construction workers.

"When the Volunteers of the Petitioner (NGO) made enquires with the migrant construction workers regarding the the relief, the workers revealed that none of them had received any amount from the government and they are not even aware about their entitlements and their registration as construction workers,",  the PIL alleged.

On this premise, the PIL sought for a CBI or an independent enquiry against the officials of the welfare board for allegedly misappropriating the welfare fund by committing bogus registration of lakhs of non construction workers as construction workers without any verification.  

"Most of these bogus workers are security guards, Ola-Uber Taxi drivers, Factory & shop workers, auto & taxi drivers, house wife, maids, tailors and barbers etc. It is very shocking that how these irregularities & loot are happening by Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCW Welfare Board) headed by the Minister of Labour, Govt. of NCT of Delhi who is also the Chairman of Board", the plea stated.

The petition added :

"Further, these bogus registrations were carried out on the recommendations & certification of 80-90 Unions which were registered recently in last 4-5 years. These Unions are illegally charging Rs.500-1000 for each fraudulent registration with the help of 150 outsourced staff of M/s. ICSIL Okhla, New Delhi (outsourced company) recruited by the above construction Board of Delhi.

On Monday, the plea was listed before a single judge bench of Justice VK Rao, which now referred it to a Division Bench and listed the matter for further hearing of the PIL on June 16.