Realtors plan precautionary measures at construction sites

With a daily surge in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra, the state government has imposed new guidelines with regards to the continuation of construction activity. Here are the guidelines:

• Construction to be allowed only for sites where labourers are living on site. The movement to and fro from outside must be avoided, except for the purpose of material movements.
• Everyone engaged in the activity to get vaccinated at the earliest, as per criteria of GOI and till get vaccinated must carry a negative RT-PCR test result certificate, which will be valid for 15 days. This rule will come into effect from 10th April 2021.
• Defaults will lead to a fine of Rs 10,000/- for the developer of the construction site and repeated defaults may lead to closure of the site till existence of notification of the Covid-19 epidemic.
• lf a worker is found positive he or she would be allowed medical leave and cannot be discontinued during this absence for this reason. He or she will be entitled for full wages that he or she might have earned had he or she not contacted corona.

Soon after the announcement, the real estate industry quickly rushed into the action mode and ensured that they took necessary precautionary measures to battle out the pandemic crisis. Taking the experience from the last year, some of them have already implemented these measures for the safety of the labourers much before the state government imposed the guidelines.

Ashok Mohanani, President, NAREDCO Maharashtra

”We are working closely with all the NAREDCO members and following all the necessary Government guidelines. In fact, all our members have been doing this much before from the time Covid-19 crisis disrupted the real estate sector last year. Labourers are the most vital and the integral part of the real estate industry and taking utmost care of them is our paramount responsibility. We are ensuring that regular sanitization of the construction sites are done and proper accommodation is provided to the labourers at the sites. We are also conducting regular health check-ups and vaccination awareness programs for the workers. We have made the RT-PCR test mandatory for all the migrant workers who are coming back from their hometown as per the Government guidelines. We are ensuring that they complete their tests before joining the construction sites.”

Pritam Chivukula, Co-Founder & Director, Tridhaatu Realty, Hon. Secretary, CREDAI MCHI

“Unlike the last year lockdown, we are relieved that at least construction activities can go on where labourers are already present at the site. The Government has mentioned that the labourers need to get vaccinated at the earliest and till their vaccination they need to get their RT PCR test done. This won’t affect the large and medium-sized developers as they are already taking the necessary precautions at the sites. Although this will affect the small developers and also the redevelopment projects as they do not have enough space for labour camps.

There is no stringent lockdown like last time as essential services and other basic requirements are easily available. We at MCHI-CREDAI are getting the health check-ups done for the labourers along with the vaccination awareness program. We will comply with the Government guidelines and get the RT PCR test done for most of the labourers till 10th April. We are in talks with local urban bodies for conducting free tests for the labourers. For project sites in the outskirts of the city, we are planning to tie-up with private organizations to conduct the Covid tests. Most of the labourers are in the age groups from 20-40 and as per the GOI directive, the vaccination below the age of 45 has not been initiated yet. Hence we are writing to the Government to grant permission to conduct the vaccination for these labourers on priority and if feasible to conduct the vaccination drive on the construction site itself.”

Abhishek Jain, Chief Operating Officer, Satellite Developers Pvt Ltd

“Proper health and hygiene for all our workers have always remained a top priority and all necessary initiatives are taken from our end. We have provided shelter to the workers in labour camps and have also provided resources for their daily food along with masks and sanitizers. Also, as per the government guidelines, we are getting their RT PCR test done before the said timeline.”

Anuj Khetan, Director, Vijay Khetan Group

”We at Vijay Khetan Group have always prioritized the health and safety of our workers at all our different construction sites. We have arranged for hygienic boarding and lodging on-site for our workers along with distribution of face masks and sanitizers. The Covid 19 pandemic, while draws the world’s attention on the importance of vaccines, we have ensured to give paid leave to all the eligible workers for vaccination. Also, for the workers, we are getting RT PCR tests done as per the government guidelines. We are maintaining thorough sanitization at all our sites for the safety of our workers and stakeholders.”

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