CM Kejriwal to deposit Rs 5000 to the affected workers by construction ban

AQI still falls into the "very poor" category by SAFAR

New Delhi: Taking notes from the construction ban in the capital. The Kejriwal Govt. will deposit Rs 5,000 each in bank accounts of construction workers affected by the ban in the city due to air pollution, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday.

According to the Chief Minister told a media person, "I have given an order today to deposit Rs 5,000 each in bank accounts of construction workers given a ban on construction activities due to air pollution. We will also provide compensation to workers for their loss according to their minimum wages."

In the meantime, the capital is still falling into the category of "Very-Poor" Air Quality Index (AQI) by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

Yesterday, The Supreme Court (SC) re-imposed the ban on construction activities in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR). The SC also directed the states to provide subsistence to workers from the funds collected as labour cess for the period during which such activities are not allowed.

According to the Special bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana said that, in an interim order uploaded Wednesday night, also directed the Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR and Adjoining Areas to "commission a scientific study of air quality based on available data of previous years bearing upon recorded levels of air pollution".

The SC Bench also added that "We direct that instead of waiting for the air quality to decline before initiating action under the graded response plan, basic measures must be put into place in anticipation of deterioration of air quality. For this purpose, the commission must engage expert agencies with domain knowledge in meteorological data and statistical modelling."

To combat pollution rates, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on November 13 had announced a ''pollution lockdown'' under which the schools were closed for physical classes. Classes, however, continued through online mediums.