Odisha Girls Employed In Bengaluru Appeal State Govt To Rescue Them

Balangir: Eight girls from Balangir have requested the Odisha government to rescue them from Bengaluru alleging harassment by the employer and poor work environment.

They are all natives of Sadar and Deogaon blocks of Balangir district. The stranded girls narrated their ordeal in a video and  appealed to the Odisha government to help them.

The girls underwent a six-month training in retail shop management at the Centre-sponsored DDU-GKY centre. After this, they were sent to Bengaluru on the promise of being employed in shopping malls. However, the promise turned out to be false as the girls were sent to a packaging unit in the city.

“We were promised a better work environment and facilities. But we are now forced to work for 12 to 14 hours instead of 8 hours as per the norms. Also, we are not being paid on time,” alleged a girl in the video.

Another girl said they tried to contact DDU-GKY centre officials but no one picked their calls. The girls have not been provided any medical facilities nor general care at the packaging unit.

“Men and women are lodged in the same place,” said one of the girls.