Restrictions to control air pollution turn winter into a season of discontent for migrant workers in the construction sector
Manthati Sai Kiran
Daily wage workers sitting along a roadside barrier waiting for work opportunities at the Khora labour chowk in Noida. Manthati Sai Kiran/The Migration Story
Noida, Uttar Pradesh: Hundreds of daily wage labourers struggle to make their presence felt as a thick blanket of grey-black smog engulf them at the Khora Labour Chowk near Sector 62 in Noida at around nine in the morning in early January. They stand around in clusters, young and old, tools in hand, waiting to be picked up for work by contractors, middlemen or house owners. A few anxiously approach drivers in passing vehicles, enquiring if they are looking to hire for work. An hour or two later, the groups become smaller, but many remain where they were, even if their hope for landing work went up in smoke.
Forty-year-old Shaker from Bihar’s Arrah district was among the fortunate ones to land a job that day. A daily wager who works as a painter and a mason in the construction sector, he had arrived in Delhi about 20 years ago in search of livelihood. The labour chowk is a vital entity of his migrant life, the place where his daily earning is secured, and at other times, not.
“The chowk is one of the largest labour addas in Delhi-NCR,” said Shaker and added that over a thousand workers gather at the chowk daily to find work. “The chances of being hired are higher as the place is close to industrial areas. It is also in the outskirts of Delhi, where both domestic and commercial construction projects are common,” he said.
But, in recent times, with government-imposed restrictions on construction work in place to curb pollution, finding work has become extremely difficult for those like him.
In the absence of proactive and inclusive interventions, winter turns into a season of uncertainty, hardship, and neglect for thousands of migrant workers like Shaker in the pollution-riddled big cities of the country, said labour rights campaigners.
Workers standing at the Khora labour chowk in Nodia. Manthati Sai Kiran/The Migration Story
Dropping air quality, shrinking work opportunity
Every year, especially during winters, air quality across the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi worsens to poisonous, unbreathable levels, and to tackle the condition, the Supreme Court in the MC Mehta vs. Union of India case in 2016, laid out a standardized Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) based on Air Quality Index (AQI). GRAP I and II are focussed on dust control, advisories, and restricting diesel generators; GRAP III bans non-essential construction and restricts vehicular movements, and GRAP IV, the most severe scenario, necessitates halting of all construction activities and bans non-essential trucks.
As construction activities come to a grinding halt, workers, most of whom are migrants, become jobless. Raju (35), a migrant from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, said, “We barely get three days’ work a week in winter as construction ban is imposed to reduce pollution.”
Data compiled from official statements from the Commission for Air Quality Management shows that GRAP III and IV restrictions were in place for nearly 50 days in 2024. Latest GRAP III restrictions were lifted on February 3 this year. In comparison, 2023 had lesser -- a total of 26 days of construction bans, according to a PTI report.
Delhi hosts one of the largest inter-state migrant worker populations in India, and over five lakh construction workers are registered with the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
Restrictions imposed to reduce pollution severely impact the lives of migrant labourers engaged in construction activities in Delhi as well as the NCR. “Work availability has been extremely low this winter,” said Jiten (32) from Assam. “At most, workers have found jobs for 15 days a month. Over the last 20 days, I have had work for barely seven. If over 1,000 people gather at the chowk, only 250-300 manage to get work. I am at the chowk at 6 am daily up till 10:30 or 11 am, hoping to be picked up for a construction job. On most days, I return empty-handed,” he said.
Media reports citing a 2023 study by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) found that eight out of 10 residents in Delhi’s slum clusters and unauthorized settlements hail from just three States -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. While the search for work fuelled migration, over 78 percent of families that migrated ended up earning less than Rs 20,000 a month. Diminishing work opportunities in winter is expected to shrink their earnings further.
Falling earnings, growing debts
For some workers at the Khora Labour Chowk monthly earnings dropped below Rs 10,000 when construction work was banned. “The cost of living is high compared to our villages, so we leave our families behind. Last month, I could barely send Rs 2,000 home as I hardly found any work,” said Raju.
Workers crowd around a man looking to hire someone for work at the Khora labour chowk in Noida.
Manthati Sai Kiran/The Migration Story
Less work translates to bigger debts for daily wage workers. “Enforcement of GRAP has forced many to borrow money from private lenders at high-interest rates, pushing them further into deep poverty,” said Sultan Ahmad, director, media and governance at Gram Vaani, a social technology company that works with civil society organisations.
While welfare mechanisms are in place to address the lack of employment owing to interventions such as GRAP, they remain difficult to access for a large segment of daily wage workers in the informal sector.Sarjoo Ram Sharma, deputy labour commissioner of Uttar Pradesh, said the state government had provided a monetary benefit of Rs 800 on days GRAP III and IV were imposed. At least 13,000 labourers registered with the UP Labour Department and working in the NCR region had benefited from it, he claimed.
“We transferred money directly to the bank accounts of labourers registered with us. The compensation supported them during wage loss due to pollution curbs,” said Sharma.
At least 20 camps are held annually at different locations to register workers at construction sites, he said, informing the process of labour registration with the department. “Workers can also register themselves online any time.” However, the registration process and the successful availing of monetary benefits entail certain requirements. To register for compensation, a worker must have been employed for at least 90 days in construction work. Additionally, they must own a bank account with valid KYC documentation to receive monetary support, informed Sharma.
The mandatory requirements become more often a hurdle to accessing benefits. “A key issue is the lack of access to the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) card. Without the identity document, workers are unable to receive compensation from the Delhi government or other state governments,” pointed out Ahmad of Gram Vani.
Further, the nature of employment exacerbates their vulnerability, he said. “Most workers are employed on a contractual basis and lack formal employment proof. As a result, they struggle to establish their eligibility for 90 or 100 days of work, depending on each State’s criteria for the construction sector. The eligibility is often a prerequisite for securing a BOCW card and other social security benefits,” added Ahmad.
Many workers at the labour addas remain unregistered with government departments. “We work at different locations daily. Sometimes it’s a small private site, at others a large contractor. So, we fail to meet the eligibility criteria for registration,” said Raju.
A construction worker, clad in worn-out shoes and holding a sack of construction materials, at the Khora labour chowk in Noida. Manthati Sai Kiran/The Migration Story
That aside, workers most often do not have active bank accounts or lack address proof and documents for KYC verification, making it difficult to acquire financial assistance. The process of updating bank details and worker identification is complex, said Ahmad. “Limited support for documentation creates barriers and some agents demand payments upfront for BOCW card registration, which many workers, especially women, cannot afford. As a result, they are excluded from receiving compensation,” he added.
“I do not have a good mobile phone nor the money to open a bank account,” observed Shaker.
Policy gap
Daily wage workers remain largely invisible to policymakers; their struggles -- whether of seasonal loss of income or long-term health risks from toxic air -- are rarely accounted for in policy decisions. With little to no social security available to them, they are the first to lose work when restrictions are imposed and the first to be exposed to hazardous conditions when bans are lifted.
While air pollution mitigation is crucial, experts call for a more inclusive approach that considers the realities of daily wagers. Ahmad suggested that the government utilize its existing database of e-Shram cardholders to quickly identify workers by their trades and facilitate immediate compensation. “A proactive approach is needed for BOCW card registration with the labour department conducting registrations at construction sites in collaboration with contractors, firms, and builders. Simplifying KYC and enrolment processes will help more workers access benefits,” observed Ahmad. Additionally, the compensation amount should be increased to reflect the extended work restrictions under GRAP as the current financial aid is inadequate to offset wage losses during prolonged work stoppages,” he added.
Professor Rajesh Joseph, faculty at the Azim Premji University, and an expert on labour in the informal sector, calls for better regulation and amendments in existing legislations. “While the Supreme Court’s order for subsistence wages is a welcome move, the informal sector’s lack of a direct employer-employee relationship makes it difficult for workers to claim benefits. The State must introduce laws to regulate informal employment so that more workers can access benefits,” said Joseph.
Edited by P Anima
Manthati Sai Kiran is pursuing an MA in Development at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, and writes on the intersections of society, policy and grassroots realities.
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