Delhi: Lapses in disbursal of funds to Covid relief workers, alleges ABC

• 44 people had common addresses in Gautam Colony in Narela, while 37 had submitted fake addresses in Kapashera
• Since every construction worker cannot afford a cellphone, many people use a single mobile number to apply for registration: National Campaign Committee of Construction Labour
• Registered workers in Delhi were paid between ₹5,000 and ₹15,000 by the Delhi Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board

Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), in a preliminary enquiry, has found financial embezzlement in disbursal of funds to Covid relief to workers.

The ABC contended that “ghost” construction workers were disbursed funds worth hundreds of crores by the labour department of the Delhi government. The officials added that ACB sleuths randomly selected 800 forms (of those submitted by registered workers), and found fake addresses and profiles, and instances of dozens of beneficiaries listing the same address and phone number, and the names of people who have never visited Delhi, reported Hindustan Times. The amount disbursed under the scheme was ₹900 crore, said the officials. Deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia is the chairperson of the board.

Registered workers in Delhi were paid between ₹5,000 and ₹15,000 by the Delhi Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) during the Covid pandemic for loss of wages, reported the paper.

“We checked 800 forms submitted by individuals who had registered as construction workers. There are a total of 1,700,000 workers registered with the labour department. Of the 800, at least 421 people are fake. Even B.Tech and M.Com students were registered as construction workers,” an investigating officer, who asked not to be named, was quote by HT as saying.

According to the report, as many as 44 people had common addresses in Gautam Colony in Narela, while 37 had submitted fake addresses in Kapashera. “At least 66 applicants had given the same mobile number… We will now probe how many non-construction workers took the money,” said the ACB official

Shubhash Bhatnagar of the National Campaign Committee of Construction Labour said: “It is also common for many construction workers to stay together in one building, even though they are not part of a family. A thorough inquiry should be done into the matter,” he said.

A probe has been launched by the ant-corruption bureau after some labour unions met lieutenant governor VK Saxena and filed a representation and on September 22.