CWG: Rs 17cr worth of Labour Law violation

Delhi High Court reprimands government for negligence

Despite Delhi High Court's strong reaction to reports of labour law violations at Commonwealth Games (CWG) project sites, the government seems to be doing little to improve the lives of labourers working in the national Capital.u00a0 The court while reprimanding the government observed that there were gross labour law violations at CWG and other construction sites across the capital.

Reacting to this, social activist Swami Agnivesh expressed concern over the raising instances labour law violations and said, "It's not about CWG games only. All construction sites in the capital like CWG, Metro, several other beautification projects, markets even households are the places where labour laws are violated."

He also added "It's not only about labourers not being provided minimum wages and living in most unhygienic conditions. The worst affected ones are the children and women who work at these sites. They rarely get the assured wages as the commission agents grab their share,"

There are over eight lakh labourers working on Commonwealth projects worth Rs 17,000 crore but are not being provided even with the basic amenities. There have been frequent reports of diseases like dengue and malaria in places where labourers have been putting up.

"Such diseases themselves clarify the unhygienic conditions. There is hardly any basic civic facility here and nothing in terms of medical facility for the labourers," said a CWG official.
According to social activists, the government continues to be in slumber and is not showing any political will to prevent the violation of labour laws and book the offenders.