“Winters Of Despair: How Delhi's Pollution Curbs Affect Construction Workers”

… "When they stop our work, we don't just lose the wages. It's the food on our plates and the little we try to save for our children's future," says Raju Singh, a mason from Bihar.

He was one of thousands of migrant and local construction workers rendered jobless following the November 11 ban on constructions, prompted by the Delhi-NCR's air quality plunging to hazardous levels.

More such bans are likely to follow throughout the winter. While that is good news for the city's residents, the story is different for these construction workers.

"Even though working in the polluted air makes it hard for us to breathe, I would rather work than sit idle," Raju Singh says, describing the crushing blow the restrictions have on his finances…

The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) …implements anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)…

Sujit, a labourer from West Bengal describes how such consecutive bans trap them in a vicious debt cycle….

Driven by the promise of high wages, they often bring their families, setting up temporary shelters at the construction sites, and inadvertently creating conditions for another major problem -- child labour…