MP Pratibha Dhanorkar's push gets WCL to act on women workers' demands
WCL agreed to act on long-pending demands of Majri area women workers after MP Pratibha Dhanorkar took up the issue with the general manager.
A key meeting was held at the regional general manager's office in Kuchna, Chandrapur, over long-pending demands of workers and women employees of the Majri area. The discussion, held under the guidance of MP Pratibha Dhanorkar with WCL General Manager Rakesh Prasad, prominently raised issues including a weekly off for women on Sundays, rest shelters, road repairs and medical facilities. The administration assured that it would act immediately.
The matter of Sunday duty for women employees, pending for the past one and a half years, was the first to be raised at the meeting. Sharp displeasure was also expressed over WCL administration's continued delay in addressing the lack of rest shelters for women workers in the mining area. It was made clear that women workers across all sub-areas of Majri should be given Sunday duty, and that women workers engaged in alternative duties should also be reviewed and given this entitlement. The administration was directly instructed on this.
The meeting also raised the issue of the approach road to the New Majri UG 2 OC mine, which was described as highly dangerous from a safety standpoint, with a demand for immediate repair. There was also detailed discussion on enlarging and properly building the small rest shelter built for women within the mine premises, and on providing clean drinking water at workers' worksites.
A strong demand was also raised to address the shortage of doctors at the Majri regional hospital, seeking the immediate appointment of an orthopedist, a gynecologist and a physician, or alternatively empanelling doctors. There was also a forceful demand to complete repair and painting work on houses in Majri's residential colony. Instructions were also given for immediate measures over high-pressure blasting from the Ekona mines.
During the meeting, WCL administration heard the concerns of workers, particularly women employees, seriously. General Manager Rakesh Prasad assured that concrete steps would soon be taken on all the issues and pending demands raised at the meeting.
