Please advice me for tunnel allowance for construction workers & if there is any notification?

Please advise me on the tunnel allowance for construction workers. If there is any notification, please share.

Hi Ajay,

I have not come across any special allowance stipulated for persons engaged in tunnel construction work. For that matter, even 'mining' activities where 'tunneling' is among the many of their normal mine construction work, there is no stipulation for a special allowance to be paid to employees engaged therein, except for their own scheme of "incentive" governed under certain work-related achievements.

In your case, I believe there are certain elements of life-threatening risks in carrying out 'tunneling' in a construction contract either for rail/road projects or irrigation requirements, etc. As such, a special (area)/risk allowance can be paid on a certain specific pattern - a fixed sum or a percentage linking scales of pay, basic pay, etc., could be suggested.

No tunnel allowance I have ever come across, though I have worked in tunnel construction under HCC. What I observed before entering the tunnel was that a medical check-up for all employees was compulsory. At the end of the work shift, when the employees were coming out of the tunnel, they underwent another medical check-up and were placed in a room for half an hour to acclimate to the temperature difference between the open area and the tunnel.

Tunnel construction work is usually tough and widely recognized. It is akin to constructing a bridge over a flowing river. Perhaps tunnels are also an integral part of this challenging process.

Workers often demand higher wages due to the life-threatening nature of the work. This is typically agreed upon by the contractor, as indicated in their tender submission. It represents an internal understanding between the workers and their contractor.

My question is: why are you raising this issue here? If the construction company values the critical nature of tunnel work, they should generously provide daily or weekly incentives, along with amenities like free food and snacks. This should be done without needing support from government orders or court judgments. These legal measures stem from humanitarian considerations. Therefore, proceed without waiting for previous legal decisions.

However, it's crucial not to overlook providing free life insurance to all workers for their safety in hazardous conditions.

All the best.

If the query is not related to any irrigation project or a road/rail construction contract, I would suggest studying the practice being followed in Metro rail projects carried out in many cities where "tunneling" below the surface is common.

I was associated for over 3 decades with 'U/G mining' in ultra depths ranging more than 13,000 ft. below the surface and tunnels of many thousands of kilometers interlinking the 'shafts' from all sides, ups & downs - raises & winzes, stopes, footwalls, etc. The atmospheric temperature at work sites, generally high-risk areas, used to be 50 degrees Celsius. In these circumstances, we had no scheme to pay specifically for 'tunneling allowance' but paid only U/G allowance (a risk allowance as they have to bear uncomfortable working conditions braving the risk of their lives) for those who are posted in such categories (miners) and for others who had to visit now and then on actual duty days for a fixed lump sum.

However, insurance policies to cover accidents, death/injuries, loss of earning capacity, etc., apart from health insurance, are a must. This can be, I would advocate, in addition to what has been assured under the Employees Compensation Act.