ROURKELA: The bandh called by Koshal Samaj demanding safe return of young female workers from Tamil Nadu, partially affected life in Sundargarh town on Wednesday.
The agitators including parents of the girls from Lefripada and Hemgir blocks also blocked the state highway-10. Due to the bandh, shops, government and private offices were partly closed.
Earlier, the agitators had submitted a memorandum to the Sundargarh collector stating that after being trained in sewing under the Skill India Initiative, the girls were taken to TN to work for a garment manufacturer. Their engagement in the garment factory was facilitated by the administration. They alleged that the girls were treated unfairly, made to work extra hours and not allowed to return home.
District employment officer (DEO) RC Kisan said he along with two other officers of the Directorate of Skill Development and Odisha Skill Development Authority had visited the garment division of KPR Mill Ltd in Tirupur of TN on January 12. They talked to the HR authorities of KPR who refuted the allegation of unfair treatment to the female workers.
Kisan said they also held discussion with the female workers of Sundargarh and found that around 100 girls mostly from Lefripada and a few others from Hemgir were facing trouble largely due to language issue. A few days back, 30 of the girls had returned while four others came back on Wednesday. The female workers unwilling to work in garment factory are returning in batches as the company cannot release them at once as production target would get hampered, he said.
The DEO further said there is no restriction from the company authorities to release the female workers. About 3,500 female workers were employed in the company and nearly 2,000 were from Odisha. The workers from Lefripada and Hemgir are unwilling to work there and want to return, he added.