USCW takes up cause of poor women affected by demolition in Mansa Devi Temple Road
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
In light of the livelihoods of poor women reportedly affected by the demolition of shops on Mansa Devi Temple Road in Haridwar, the Uttarakhand State Commission for Women (USCW) chairwoman Kusum Kandwal instructed the municipal commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Haridwar to provide these women with shops at suitable locations for their livelihoods. This instruction was issued during a public hearing in Haridwar on Wednesday, as part of the National Commission for Women’s campaign “Mahila Aayog Aapke Dwar.”
During the public hearing, Kandwal informed that a total of 18 complainants presented their grievances to the commission, several of which were resolved on the spot. However, four serious cases were referred to the commission headquarters in Dehradun for further action. Two female doctors employed at Metro Hospital in Haridwar spoke about their difficult situation, alleging that their salaries had been withheld by the hospital management for the past one year and nine months. Kandwal informed that due to the seriousness of this issue, she ordered the hospital management committee to appear before the commission on March 16 and mandated that the outstanding salaries be released by cheque within a week.
She further said that other serious cases were also addressed during the public hearing, including a woman who complained about her husband’s extramarital affairs and dowry harassment. Kandwal ordered an immediate investigation into this matter and summoned both parties to the commission. Many other complaints were presented and addressed during the said day. The USCW chief emphasised the importance of taking the commission’s instructions seriously and instructed all the officers present to ensure that no department treats these directives lightly. She particularly stressed that the Police department must send investigation reports on the letters issued by the commission in a timely manner. If any female employee is dissatisfied with the investigation conducted by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of her department, a fair re-investigation should be conducted. Additionally, all departments are mandated to organise workshops related to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) in their respective areas. She made it clear that addressing the problems of women should be the top priority for both the government and the administration.
Notably, during the review of the One Stop Centre at the public hearing, the administrator reported that out of 490 registered cases this year, 488 have been successfully resolved.
