A daycare centre for kids of construction workers at IIT-B

Aman,said sources,usually accompanied his parents to work. Sources said the incident occurred in the first week of January,when Aman accompanied his mother to work on the fifth floor of the new biomedical school and fell from an open window while playing. Though he was immediately taken to a hospital,he sucumbbed to his injuries.

“At present,there are several construction sites on campus and as many as 50 children of construction workers live here. Construction companies are contractually obligated to provide a day care centre if there are more than 50 female labourers employed with them. With the unsafe working conditions prevalent at construction sites,children who play here are highly susceptible to infection,wounds,dust allergies,suffocation; they are also prone to the risk of accidentally swallowing dangerous objects,” according to Insight,the student-body newsletter which has also highlighted this incident in their recent issue.

“A day care centre not only safeguards the interests and security of children but also empowers women. It enables them to participate in economic activities and retain their independence,” says the newsletter.

The death of the child was followed by a signature campaign and preparation of a proposal to start a care centre for children on campus. The proposal was submitted by “team Aman-ke-liye-IIT-B (team for Aman)” to institute director Devang Khakhar,who gave his approval and allowed the lakeside community hall to be used as a temporary location. It is currently being run by Mumbai Mobile Creche,an NGO.

“The contractor is supposed to provide a day care centre,but in this case,no such facility was being provided. The institute has now decided to set up a day care centre and take contributions from the contractor to run it on the campus. IIT Bombay is looking at providing basic facilities to the workers,” said an official.