KOCHI: Three days ago, Anish, who is living near Infopark with his family, moved back to his hometown in Kottayam after his kids developed some health issues on account of the toxic fumes emanating from the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant following a fire.
Darshana, an IT professional staying near Infopark along with her family, including a newborn baby, also moved back to her hometown in Palakkad recently. They are not alone. In fact, they are two in a sea of people retreating from Kochi to their hometowns in the wake of the Brahmapuram fire, said Radhika, a database administrator working at Infopark.
Anish Panthalani, the president of Progressive Techies, an association of professionals at Infopark, said that offline work from Infopark is no longer feasible as the conditions have worsened.
“Companies should implement work-from-home as many employees are suffering from health issues due to high pollution levels in the area. Most companies are used to the work-from-home model after Covid. Implementing work-from-home will not be very difficult in the present scenario,” said Anish, who is also an IT professional.
There are over 280 companies at Infopark. More than half of them had employed a work-from-home or hybrid model during Covid. Radhika’s company uses a hybrid model - to either work from home or the office. “We have that liberty to choose. But not all companies here provide that option. It has become essential now in the wake of the Brahmapuram fire,” Radhika said.
Progressive Techies are discussing with the district administration to see if a mandate could be issued in this regard. “Infopark has some limitations. So, the District Disaster Management Authority has to issue a mandate to make work-from-home compulsory in the present scenario,” Anish said.However, they all agree that even work-from-home is only a temporary measure. What is really required is a proper, scientific and permanent solution to the issues at the waste treatment plant.