Construction Work In ‘Lockdown’ Due To Lack Of Labour
The Delhi government has allowed construction activity from May 31, yet the construction sites face a shortage of labour making it hard to resume construction. Pankaj Bajaj, managing director of Eldeco Infrastructure & Properties and president of the Delhi chapter of industry association Credai said, "They have seen the crisis and are now hesitant in coming back fearing the same during the third wave. Government must help the developers in bringing back the labourers."
The second wave has struck the Real Estate sector hard.
Construction stoppage, demand shrinkage and mounting liability of salary and interest payments are a few of many reasons bothering the developers in these hard times.
Highlighting the issues arising, Harish Sharma, executive director at REPL, an infrastructure consultancy firm, said, “Rising input costs and shortage of labour are going to be some challenges that would delay the pace of construction.”
“Keeping in mind past experiences of two lockdowns, the labourers may find it challenging to return to work. The shortage of labour is going to continue, till the time the situation across the country gets better, which may take 30 to 45 days,” Sharma said.
With the Delhi government’s announcement of opening up, things could take a month to normalise. Authorities should also look into the possibilities of bringing back the labour, who are wary of coming to Delhi due to infection scare.
