Demanding justice for the women who died in the Bawana fire tragedy last week, activists of the Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress (DPMC) on Saturday protested outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in Civil Lines.
With the majority of the victims being women, DPMC president Sharmistha Mukherjee said the government should give jobs to the kin of the women who lost their lives in the fire. The DPMC also urged Mr. Kejriwal to provide minimum wages to the women labourers working in the Bawana Industrial Area in order to improve lives.
Addressing the protesters, Ms. Mukherjee said the municipal corporations and the Delhi government were avoiding their responsibilities by making excuses.
Poor condition
She said the Bawana Industrial Area, where women labourers were forced to work in poor conditions and in violation of laws, was under the jurisdiction of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), a Delhi government agency.
Referring to the incident on January 20, Ms. Mukherjee said that the Delhi Mahila Congress had visited the Bawana Industrial Area to assess the situation after the fire as well as to see the conditions of the women. According to the Congress, women labourers were being paid ₹5,000 per month and were forced to work 12 hours a day, whereas the minimum wage in Delhi is approximately ₹15,000.
‘Not given benefits’
“Women labourers working in Bawana Industrial Area are not being given the benefits of the policies prepared by Central and Delhi governments for women’s welfare. There is no arrangement for separate toilets for women in the factory area. Underage girls are being employed in the factories,” she said.
She added that the Mahila Congress would continue to press for justice for the Bawana victims.
