Women’s safety in the city just got more teeth. In the coming few days, the Telangana government is all set to regulate and monitor all the women’s hostels and paying guest accommodations so as ensure safe stay for single women employees.
Also in the offing is an integrated helpline that will immediately provide police, medical, legal and shelter help to all women complainants.
“We will make it compulsory for all the hostels to register with the district collectorate and they will in turn share the data with the local police stations. The list of these hostels will be put up on the website and the women, especially those who have come from outside, can safely opt for any of these,” said Poonam Malakondaiah, Chairperson, Women protection Committee.
She expressed concern that most women’s hostels here were ‘unregulated’ and ‘unregistered’.
Sector to be under scanner
She was speaking on Friday at an interactive session on “Various Statutory and Legal Aspects for Women at the Work Place”, organised by the Society of Cyberabad Security Council in association with Telangana Labour Department and IT FAN.
For the first time, a nodal officer exclusively for the IT industry was appointed during the course of the event. “We will closely monitor the functioning of the industry and look for any violations pertaining to women’s safety,” informed S. Naresh Kumar, nodal officer and deputy commissioner of labour, Ranga Reddy district, who has been provided with an office in Madhapur.
A booklet, with details of labour laws and provisions related to safety of working women, was released by Home Minister N. Narasimha Reddy who assured that all the necessary steps would be taken to instil confidence in women.
Sexual harassment
Telangana Labour Commissioner A. Ashok warned the management of IT companies to have internal committees to address sexual harassment issues or face penalties of up to Rs 50,000.
He read out some of the important provisions of various acts like Contract Labour Act, Factories Act, IT Act, Maternity Benefit Act and Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act.
Mr. Ashok requested the women employees to read and create awareness about these provisions which were drafted for safety and security of women.
V. Srinivas Prasad, secretary, Society for Cyberabad Security Council, requested the State government on behalf of the IT industry to issue labour licence once in three years instead of one year, as is the current practice. Cyberabad Commissioner C.V. Anand and Mamata Vegunta, Chairperson, Society for Cyberabad Security Council Women Forum were the other guests at the event.
