Locals question need for hostel in Cuncolim, citing predominantly male migrant workforce; seek data on number of local women employed in industries and the issues they face
MARGAO
Plans unveiled by the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) to set up hostels for working women at the industrial estates, especially at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate has thrown up a host of questions amongst social activists and citizens.
In fact, against the backdrop of the covert and overt attempts to set up residential colonies inside the Cuncolim Industrial Estate to accommodate hundreds of migrant manpower working in the fish processing and other industries, GIDC’s plan for hostels for working women have indeed come under the lens of citizens and activists.
One, whom are these hostels meant for, the women from Cuncolim or neighbouring areas or the migrant manpower brought to work in these industries from the neighbouring states of Karnataka, etc. Have the IDC compiled any data how many women from Cuncolim or from Goa are presently working at the Cuncolim IDC, the number of factories they are employed with and the issues they are facing vis-a-vis accommodation or travel?
Will the IDC dish out statistics on the number of women from across the borders such as Karwar and other areas employed at the fish processing and other units. Have the IDC found out why local women are not keen in taking up employment thrown up by these industries as a result of which the employers have fanned out across the border to bring the migrant workers?
Or, is it simply that the government wants to make available accommodation for outside women workforce under the guise of providing hostel facilities for working women to facilitate the factory owners to shift the workforce, presently staying illegally inside the units, by shifting them to the hostels.
Cuncolim-based social activist Lorna Fernandes, Secretary, Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum has pointed out that having a hostel for working women so as to enhance the facilities for the female labour force especially for those working on night shifts is understandable. She, however, hastened to add that to locate such a hostel in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate does not make sense.
“Considering the type of the present units in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate and the majority being male migrant labour the proposal for locating a working women’s hostel just doesn’t add up,” she said.
She added: “Since the scheme was launched in August by the Central government, it is surprising that GIDC has identified land in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate and finalised its plans for this hostel.”
Lorna has raised a host of questions, seeking to know whether the Labour Commissioner and the Department of Women & Child Development were consulted about this project. And, whether the GIDC consulted with the Goa State Commission for Women before undertaking this exercise?
She said the moot question that needs answers is on what criteria did the GIDC come to the conclusion that Cuncolim is the industrial estate that needs such a hostel for working women?
“If the idea is to build a hostel in the name of “working women” and then eventually use it for housing the wives and children of male workers then it would amount to total misuse of the scheme. The GIDC needs to take note that any haphazard decision will come under scrutiny of the civil society who are the taxpayers,” she added.
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