NDTV's investigative report revealed over 1,000 construction workers died in India in last 4 years
Lawmakers of the BJP and Congress pledged to nudge the government to act on an investigation by NDTV into the deaths of India's construction workers.
Rajeev Gowda, Congress MP in Rajya Sabha, moved a special mention in the House on Thursday, asking the government to ensure accurate collection of data on the deaths of construction workers.
"My special mention that I lay on the table is about the urgent need to collect the correct data about the working conditions, accidents and work place deaths on the construction sites.", he said.
At the moment, there is no official database of deaths and injuries caused by work site accidents.
NDTV attempted a first-of-its-kind count of the deaths and injuries of construction workers, which revealed that more than 1,000 workers had died in the past 4 years - more than 10 times the only official estimate that exists.
Varun Gandhi, lawmaker from the BJP tweeted praise for the NDTV report, saying that he will raise the issue with the Labour Minister in the next session of Parliament.
India's construction industry employs 7.5 million workers, making it the second largest employer after agriculture. But the industry, worth an estimated $140 billion,
is marred by a pervasive lack of safety and government oversight.