NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has sought answers on a PIL which has accused the Arvind Kejriwal-headed AAP government in the capital of illegally diverting Rs 900 crore from the building construction workers ’ welfare fund for other purposes.States and Union Territories have so far collected nearly Rs 30,000 crore under the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Act, 1996. The Delhi government collected nearly Rs 1500 crore under this head. An application by National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour through senior advocate Colin Gonsalves raised this issue on Friday before a bench headed by Justice Madan Lokur.Gonsalves said the alleged diversion has been tentatively approved by the welfare board for construction workers under the Delhi government despite it being rapped earlier by the apex court. The SC had on August 21, 2015 said: “We make it clear that expenditure incurred by some of the state governments and UTs, particularly NCT of Delhi, on advertisements with the amount collected is not at all appropriate and the amount that has been spent by the NCT of Delhi and other UTs and states on advertisements should be returned to the accounts of the construction workers.”Gonsalves pointed out that taking into account the SC’s mandate and the requirements under the law, the Union labour secretary had written to the Delhi government and other states in June last year terming it illegal to spend money on building schools, training centres, labour shed-cum-night shelters, waiting halls and hostels among other things from the fund created through the construction cess.He said despite the clear warning from the Centre and in violation of the SC’s repeated orders, the construction workers’ welfare board under the Delhi government last year tentatively approved allocation of Rs 100 crore for opening of schools, Rs 200 crore for opening hospitals and for health insurance cover, Rs 400 crore for opening Anganwadi and Rs 200 crore for setting up temporary accommodation.The NGO also mentioned about the welfare board’s proposal for allocating Rs 200 crore to provide subsidised food to construction workers by linking the scheme to “Aam Aadmi Canteen”. The NGO said it was impermissible as “Rs 200 crore is meant for the construction of kitchen and the distribution of food not only for construction workers but for all members of public”.Constructing hospitals for construction workers was an eyewash as all these workers were covered under the ESI Act and they get free treatment at ESI hospitals, the NGO said. It complained that the heads on which the AAP government was intending to spend Rs 900 crore - schools, hospitals, anganwadis and night shelters - are all covered under the budget of various departments under the state government and hence diverting more funds from the construction cess fund was illegal.The court asked additional solicitor general Maninder Singh and counsel for state government to file response on the NGO’s allegations that money from construction cess fund were being misused by February 10. It also asked amicus curiae and senior advocate Vivek Tankha to assist National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) member secretary to prepare a report on deficiencies in the implementation of the 1996 Act providing for welfare measures for construction workers. It posted the matter for further hearing on February 17.