A major fire that broke out in the early hours of June 24 at a workers' residential complex at the erstwhile Nirman Bhawan construction site near Udyog Bhawan in New Delhi has once again exposed the appalling living and working conditions imposed on construction workers engaged in the Central Vista redevelopment project. The fire, which engulfed the makeshift metal accommodation housing over a thousand workers employed by Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Ltd., destroyed workers' belongings and raised serious questions about the complete failure to enforce labour safety standards even in the heart of the national capital.
In a statement issued after the incident, the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) asserted that the tragedy was not a slum fire, as portrayed by sections of the media, but the outcome of criminal negligence and systematic violation of labour laws. It stated that workers had repeatedly complained about dangerous electrical short circuits in the residential complex and had alerted supervisors, contractors and the project management well before the fire. Despite these warnings, no corrective action was taken.
AICCTU pointed out that the absence of safe and adequate workers' housing, including proper cooking facilities and fire safety measures, forced workers to keep LPG cylinders inside their cramped metal rooms. As the fire spread, cylinders exploded one after another, rapidly turning the workers' accommodation into an inferno. Thousands of workers lost their savings, documents and personal belongings in the blaze.
The organisation further noted that the incident reflects a broader pattern of labour law violations and corporate impunity. It recalled the company's involvement in previous cases relating to corruption allegations, fatal construction accidents and repeated violations of workers' safety, arguing that such a record raises serious questions about the continued awarding of major government contracts without adequate accountability.
AICCTU demanded an immediate inquiry into labour law violations at all construction sites in and around the Parliament complex and the Central Vista project. It called for full compensation to all affected workers, mandatory registration of every construction worker under the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, and strict legal action against companies found violating labour and workplace safety laws. The organisation also demanded that the Ministry of Labour and Employment ensure rigorous enforcement of labour laws and safety standards at all government construction projects.
