Surprisingly, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena is not aware whether his office has constituted an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) against sexual harassment at workplace.

This came to light when an activist asked Jena about it at a programme on ‘Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment’ organised by the Institute of Social Development (ISD) here on Saturday.

The question was asked after ISD director Subhashree Das made a presentation about a study on a ‘Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment’ report containing analysis of workplaces in Bhubaneswar city.

Even the Mayor betrayed his unawareness about the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. “I knew about the law and its local complaints committee (lCC) and ICC after coming to the programme,” he said.

later, Jena said he would inform about the committee after getting all details from his office. “We have 38 per cent women employees in the BMC. We are paying special attention towards their security and safety,” he maintained.   

The activists and mediapersons present were astonished over the answers given by the Mayor. 

State Commission for Women (SCW) Chairperson lopamudra Buxipatra expressed keen interest to popularise the law in the State. Khordha Collector Niranjan Sahu said he would issue notice to the Government and private companies coming under his jurisdiction to constitute ICCs in their offices after getting any complaint regarding this.

Among others, ISD chairman Namrata Chadha, Hyderabad-based NGO Nirnay chairperson V Girija Devi, Sukeshi Oram, Tapasi Praharaj, Bikash Das and Prof Deepak Patnaik hailed the report.