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It's a woman's world...
THEY NEVER had high aspirations as far as going out to work was concerned, yet they chose to do something never tried by women earlier. They are fillers at a CNG station at Moti Bagh, New Delhi. They are 10 in number, aged between 18 and 35. Interestingly, most staffers here except technicians and guards are women. This station is also run by a woman - Mukti Shrivastva, a former flight lieutenant and national level badminton player.
"Initially I used to feel a little awkward working here, for not only is it on the road but also, men would look at us very curiously. Many drivers would just park their vehicle nearby and stay without any reason. But later they got used to the sight, and I no longer feel embarrassed," says Nibha who joined two months back.
Why not fillers?
For a more confident Anu, working here for five months now, the novelty is no hindrance. "When girls can be pilots, doctors and engineers, why not fillers? I had no hitch working here, nor did my in-laws, but my parents did not like it," she states.
Both claim they did not have any problems in learning the skill of filling. "I understood the mechanism in one day," says Anu. "Now we not only feel safe but also confident because of day-to-day interactions with all kinds of people," they add.
Mukti started this CNG station in September 2002 after resigning from the Air Force. She preferred to employ girls because she "always believed in doing something different and challenging." Same as she did when she wanted to become an Air Traffic Controller rather than doing some administrative job at the ATC. "I was denied the post on the grounds of it being a high pressure job. But I filed a case against them and won," recalls Mukti, now a mother of two daughters, aged four and six.
Less problems
Mukti's choice for female staff here has proved fruitful. "They are efficient, careful, honest and unproblematic. They do not attempt tactics that male fillers do, like opening the gas cylinder in a way that allows air inside and thus saves gas.
Says driver Ravi Kumar who comes all the way from Vasant Kunj to take CNG from here ever since its inception, "These girls treat us on a first-come, first-served basis, while men are bossy and fight on the slightest provocation"
The post of filler, whose educational requirement is class 12 pass, carries a salary of Rs.3000 with perks for eight hours' duty. For security reasons, the girls are not kept on night duty. Though Rajender Kumar, a staffer here, feebly accepts that "these girls are equally capable" compared to men, he does not hesitate to admit that because of them the atmosphere remains decent.
Reaping the advantage of a woman's world?
RANA SIDDIQUI
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