Construction activity is all set to get a boost after central government’s announcement permitting vaccination to everyone above 18 years of age from May 1.
By Varun Singh
The central government’s announcement of allowing Covid-19 vaccination will be made available for all citizens above the age of 18 years from May 1 onwards, has given a new hope to the construction industry.
The much-awaited announcement came when India has been recording a relentless surge of over 200,000 cases of Covid-19 for the past five days.
According to experts from the construction industry, the move will boost the construction activities and address the issue of reverse migration of labourers to some extent.
Below is what doyens of the construction industry got to say on the move and how it will benefit the real estate industry.
Ashok Mohanani – President, NAREDCO Maharashtra
“After the record spike in Covid-19 cases, the next phase of Covid-19 vaccination to those above 18 years of age is a great move by the Government. It will boost the construction activities as it will help the labourers to get vaccinated at the earliest. We hope that the vaccination drive will be expedited further, mitigating the risk factor. We had requested the Government to allow the vaccination drive for labourers between the age-group of 20-45 years as most of the labourers fall in that age category. It will also address the issue of reverse migration as after vaccination, the labourers will feel themselves safe. We have made the Antigen test mandatory for all the migrant workers as per the Government guidelines till they get vaccinated. Labourers are the most vital and integral part of real estate development and taking utmost care of them is our paramount responsibility. We will closely work with all the NAREDCO members to get all of the labourers vaccinated on priority.”
Deepak Goradia, President, CREDAI MCHI
“We welcome the government’s decision to allow vaccination for individuals who are above the age of 18. This will enable developers to vaccinate construction workers and will also help in enhancing their confidence, especially considering other strict safety measures and amenities undertaken at the sites. They are the real nation builders
Pritam Chivukula, Co-Founder & Director, Tridhaatu Realty and Hon. Secretary, CREDAI MCHI
“The decision to allow vaccination to everyone above 18 years of age is a welcome move by the Government. The new strain of the virus is causing more damage to the younger generation of the population. The move will also help the construction sector in a big way as it will help vaccinate the construction workers who are the real nation builders. We had written to the Government to grant permission to conduct the vaccination for the labourers on priority as the earlier GOI directive only permitted vaccination above 45 years of age. Now, we look forward to getting the labourers vaccinated at the earliest which will streamline the construction activities and help build the dream homes of the people of India.”
Rohit Poddar, MD, Poddar Housing and Development LTD
“With the second wave of mutated COVID 19, India has become the second largest country in term of active cases. Majority of Indian population today is the working class which is 25 to 45. With senior citizens receiving vaccines to combat the virus and children with high immune systems warding off the infection, the working class is overworked and overburdened in these challenging times. The vaccination drive for 18 years and above would aid in reducing the virus’s lethal effects on the working-class population. The results of which would largely help in creating a vaccinated environment to stabilize the footfall across sectors and remobilize the economy. While real estate is still recovering with the first wave with the existing precautionary measures, the rising lethal active cases have shaken the demand towards a downward trajectory and it is only the vaccination coupled with the precautionary measures that could push the sector to perform better this year.”
Overall all the industry experts believe that the vaccine will help the construction activity, as the workers on site can now get the vaccines.
