14-20 September 2012
Vol. 2 No. 4 Pages 24 ` 7
Real Jobs At Stake
P5
{Inside}
Unitech-Well Begun, But...
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e feature South Cities I & II and Nirvana – once the pride of Unitech, but now rife with problems. ...Pg 7
Choice Resorts
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e bring you at five Resorts in and around Gurgaon, that offer Eco, Lux and Heritage getaways. Take your pick. ...Pg 17
Art’s Fine Ideals
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culptor Seema Singh Dua’s chiselled creations confirm that quality and subtlety are more important than size. ...Pg 19
Protect your Family & Property from Pests like
Termites
Cockroaches
RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2012-2014
{ Abhishek Behl / FG }
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cenario 1: Industrial relations in West Bengal in the 1970s turned from bad to worse, as the then government failed to rein in both the workers as well as industry. The trade unions adopted an increasingly militant attitude, even as managements preferred lock-outs to negotiations. This ultimately led to a situation where the majority of the companies in West Bengal left the state and shifted their plants – leaving behind an industrial wasteland. Scenario 2: Trade union leader Datta Samant led the textile mills strikes in the 1980s in Mumbai, effectively leading to a situation where the workers and managements did not come to terms with each other. With both sides hardening their stance, the textile industry shifted from Mumbai, effectively killing the local industry. The State, in this situation, hardly played a role. Both these scenarios have relevance to the industrial relations in the state of Haryana, because the important industrial belts of Gurgaon, Manesar, and Faridabad are witnessing an undercurrent of tension, due to the workers’ unrest prevailing in the area. Trade Union leaders, as well as industrial relations experts, aver that if the government does not handle the issue wisely, it could take a serious turn, badly affecting the future of industry in the State. The inability of the labour department to implement the labour laws in a fair manner, and act as an impartial arbitrator in labour disputes, is increasingly being questioned. “We want the State government to act in a balanced manner. The State should not take sides, and do whatever is being told by company managements,” says S.K Yadav, a General Secretary of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), an organisation that is part of the Congress, and works closely with the government. In the industrial corridors of Gurgaon, the struggle between the workers and industry is increasingly being seen as a fight between the working class and the capitalists, in which the government is
seen on the side of the rich and the powerful. Comrade Sarabjit Singh, General Secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), says that while industries are being run with 21st century technology, the business mindset of the owners and management is of the 15th century. “The workers are clearly seen as just a cost, and no one considers them as an integral part of the organisation. Increasing ‘contractorisation’ has further eroded the class character of the workers, and they do not have any identity of their own,” says Singh. Contd on p 21
Green House Effect { Abhishek Behl / FG }
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he ever increasing population in Gurgaon is putting immense pressure on the inadequate infrastructure of the Millennium City. Every summer, public battles are fought between the citizens and the state administration, on the issue of water and power shortages, even as millions of litres of diesel is consumed. During the monsoon, the perennial issue of waterlogging and lack of sanitation hits the residents even harder, as the City’s civic agencies wring their hands in failure. HUDA, MCG and other public service departments have been promising to get their act together, for the last several years, but nothing much has changed, allege the City's residents. In such a gloomy scenario, are there alternatives? Can Gurgaonites reduce their dependence on the State grid for power, and HUDA for water supply? Is it possible to optimise the consumption of these resources, so that they can be better used and distributed? The answer is Yes; but it will require the City's residents to embrace ‘Green and Smart Living’. It means the houses, buildings and commercial complexes in Gurgaon will have to be designed smartly, on eco-friendly principles, and built with materials that are local and save on energy cost.
Chitra Vishwanath, a leading Bangalore based architect, who has built a number of green homes across the country (including Gurgaon), says that building eco-friendly and smart houses will help in reduced usage of water and power. “The houses we design are built from the material available on site. The bricks are built from the mud of the basement, and are compressed. As a result, the house is less warm during the summers, and less cold in the winters,” says Vishwanath. Contd on p 6