Delhi High Court Directs State Govt To Publish List Of Registered Construction Workers Entitled To Covid-19 Ex Gratia Compensation

Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice on a plea filed by daily wage construction workers seeking Covid-19 ex-gratia compensation from the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.

The Delhi government last year had announced a scheme to disburse ex-gratia payment of Rs 5000 to every construction worker registered under the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.

Accordingly Justice Rekha Palli ordered,

"Keeping in view the fact that there may be other similarly situated workers who have not yet received the due ex gratia relief, I am of the view that the respondent no.1 ought to expeditiously publish the list of registered workers along with the details of payments released to them and if not, the reasons thereof."

The petitioners had submitted that despite being registered construction workers, they had not yet received the COVID-19 ex-gratia amount in accordance with the decision taken by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi in exercise of his power under Section 22 of the Building and Other Construction Workers' (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service), Act, 1996.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the counsel for the Welfare Board had submitted that sincere efforts were being made to release the due payments to the eligible workers. 

Addressing the grievances of the petitioners, the Court directed the respondent authority to file an affidavit detailing the steps undertaken in this regard and the amount released in favour of the petitioners within a period of 3 weeks. Any reply has to be filed within a week thereafter.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 17.

Case Title: Ratiram Ahirwar & Ors. v. Delhi Building And Other Construction Workers Welfare Board 

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