The constitution of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) to report instances of sexual harassment, as mandated by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, appears to be sluggish in the State, an RTI query has revealed.
Activists of Yugantar, an NGO, had filed an RTI application in which they sought information on the status of constitution of these committees. While some departments and agencies responded that ICCs were formed, others including the IT, Electronics and Communications Department (ITE&CD), were yet to constitute these committees.
“With reference to your RTI application cited, I am to inform that the creation and constitution of committee for building awareness and prevention of sexual harassment at workplace in this department is under process,” the ITE&CD Public Information Officer said in the reply.
Much to activist’s befuddlement, a response to the RTI from the Broilers Department and the Telangana Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TUFIDC) told the RTI activists to treat the response to the query as 'NIL'.
“With reference to government memo cited, it is informed that no complaints of sexual harassment of women were registered at the workplace in this department. Hence information on the above subject in respect of Broilers Department may please be treated as NIL,” the response reads. It did not specify whether an ICC was constituted.
Similarly, a reply from the TUFIDC stated, “With reference to your application cited above, it is to inform TUFIDC is a corporation and all employees working in this office are on deputation basis and there is no such information as desired. Therefore it may be treated as NIL.”
The Irrigation and CAD Department and Vemulawada Temple Area Development Authority too responded in the same tone.
On the other hand, the RTI query revealed that ICCs were formed, among others, by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and Minorities Welfare Department.
