The Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (MADITSSIA) has appealed to the Madurai district Superintendent of Police Asra Garg to provide security to women employees working in the women's industrial estate in Kappalur.
In a letter, MADITSSIA President V. S. Manimaran said that the women's industrial estate was started with the help of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in her earlier tenure through the Small Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) and employed over 500 women.
However, due to the presence of a TASMAC bar near the estate, the women workers were being harassed by unruly elements day and night.
Further, anti-social elements were gathering in unused buildings inside the industrial estate and were creating trouble for the employers and workers.
At a time of intense labour shortage, particularly in the skilled workers category, the available women workers are threatening to quit in face of this menace.
Mr. Manimaran said, “While 20 companies are presentaly operating, 20 more are in the process of setting up shop. In two year's time, the industrial estate's entire capacity of 65 units would be filled employing more than 2,000 women. For this to materialise, security was a must.”
The complaints given earlier resulted only in patrols for a short duration, after which the problem rose once again. Hence, the trade body urged Mr. Garg to provide for continuous patrolling of the estate premises and provide adequate security to women workers and called for relocating the TASMAC Bar.
Mr. Manimaran noted that along with Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation, District Industries Centre and SIDCO, MADITSSIA was also among the Selection Committee that short-listed the applicants for the women's industrial estate.
