Reconsider blanket ban on construction works during winter, industry body writes to CM

As per the plan, demolition and open civil construction activities that generate dust will be prohibited from November 1 to January 31, with an exemption for essential public infrastructure projects. Finishing work, plumbing and electrical installations inside construction sites will continue to be permitted, subject to dust-control norms. Between December 10 and January 20, only government projects deemed indispensable for public utility or emergencies will be allowed, and vehicles carrying construction material will be barred from entering Delhi.

In the letter, NAREDCO Delhi president Harsh Vardhan Bansal said the construction industry supported “all scientific, practical and effective measures aimed at improving Delhi’s air quality”.

However, he said prolonged halt on construction work would impose a heavy financial burden on developers, who continue to bear fixed costs such as EMIs on heavy machinery, bank interest, equipment lease rentals, security expenses, wages and statutory compliance costs even when work is suspended. Repeated annual shutdowns during the peak construction season, the letter said, could strain cash flows and push MSMEs, contractors, subcontractors and vendors into financial distress.

The NAREDCO questioned the rationale behind a blanket suspension of construction activities, maintaining that no source-wise scientific assessment had been made public to justify such a ban. It argued that Delhi’s air pollution is caused by multiple sources, including vehicular emissions, road dust, industrial emissions and stubble burning, and that “focusing disproportionately on one sector” would not ensure equitable regulation.

According to the 2018 TERI source apportionment study, construction contributes 8.4% of Delhi’s PM2.5 emissions and 21% of PM10 emissions.

The letter further said that construction is among India’s largest employment generators. “Whenever construction activity is suspended, many migrant workers return to their native places. Experience has shown that a significant number do not return immediately, which could lead to loss of livelihoods,” it added.

The Delhi government, as well other NCR governments provide compensation to construction workers who are impacted by these curbs. Last year, Delhi government had announced a Rs 10,000 compensation for each worker affected by imposition of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The industry body asked the government to put out a detailed list of activities which would be permitted and prohibited during winter, and to reconsider the blanket prohibition. It also requested the government to hold stakeholder consultations before implementing measures having significant economic implications.

Queries sent to the Delhi government did not elicit a response.

The government has said the winter action plan is based on air quality trends over the last three winters, during which Delhi consistently recorded ‘Very Poor’ to ‘Severe’ air quality index (AQI). The measures, which will automatically come into effect from November 1 to February 28 irrespective of the prevailing AQI, will operate alongside GRAP, whose repeated implementation and withdrawal has drawn criticism from experts in recent years.