COIMBATORE: Salespersons, especially women, working in PDS shops are facing hardship in attending nature’s call while in duty as most shops function out of rented buildings and lack toilets. Women staff rued that they have no option than to approach a house in the neighbourhood and say they find it embarrassing to approach the house owners every time they have to use the toilet.
According to the Tamil Nadu ration shop employees association, there are 1,401 sales persons & 1,401 assistants, in Coimbatore. Of this, around 700 sales persons are women. Rani (name changed), a saleswoman from a ration shop from Ramanathapuram, said, “Duty hours for salespersons is 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm. The ration shop where I work is three kilometres away from my home and functions from a rented building.
It does have a toilet, and I use the ones in the houses next to the shop. Sometimes, I go to the VAO office for this purpose. I feel embarrassed whenever I have to use toilet in nearby houses. Using someone else’s toilet definitely is awkward. Sometimes, I control my bladder until I reach my house. Through our association, I have made a request to build a toilet to be attached in the shop,” she said.
M Ganesan, who works in another shop in the area, said, “The building where my shop is situated belongs to the cooperative department. However, it lacks a toilet. I usually relieve myself in the open. Sometimes, I ride two kilometres to my house and return. During such time, I tell an assistant to supervise the shop.” G Rajendran, president of Tamil Nadu ration shop employees association, said, “Less than 30% of ration shops are functioning in rental buildings.
However, the cooperative department has yet to provision toilet facilities even in their own buildings. For instance, more than 80% of 1,401 shops in Coimbatore district have no toilet facility. After repeated complaints the cooperative department has started to build toilets while constructing new buildings for ration shops. But they are very limited. Officials cite space constraints for not including toilets in the design.”
When contacted, S Parthiban, joint registrar of the district cooperative department, said, “We have now started including toilets while constructing new buildings for ration shops. The issue is, ration shops which have been functioning in rental buildings in urban areas. We are working to resolve the issue.”