Maharashtra: Civic body lends helping hand to transgenders, hires them as security guards, green marshals

Till a few months ago 23yearold Shaina Roy a transwoman used to seek alms at shops and traffic signals but life has taken a positive turn for her today as she passes by the same places to her workplace donning a uniform as an employee of Pimpri Chinchwad civic body near PuneRoy is among over 30 transgender persons who were recently recruited by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation PCMC as security guards and green marshals making it probably the first civic body in the state to offer employment opportunity to the members of this community who are often denied equal rightsPimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Rajesh Patil recently took the decision to bring the members of these communities to the mainstream and help them lead a dignified lifeAlso readMumbai BMC tries three ways to repair potholes at WadalaTalking to PTI about the initiative Patil said that all know the transgender community faces a lot of problems in the society and is prone to abuse and exploitationIn order to bring them to the mainstream and provide a dignified life to them we have undertaken some measures As per one of the initiatives we have recruited 30 to 35 transgenders While some of them have been placed in the green marshals squad who are enforcing the cleanliness drive others were inducted as security personnel guards at the civic body while some others have been given the task of maintaining the civic gardens he saidThey were recruited on July 1 and so far all they have been doing a good job he saidWe are hopeful that this opportunity will certainly help them in creating their own identity and live with dignity he saidPatil added that this is contractual engagement and they will get certain minimum wages which will help them lead a life just like other security guards and green marshalsWe also have plans to empower the transgender community members by providing financial support to them by helping them form selfhelp groups SHGs and earn livelihood the civic chief saidThe municipal corporation got the information about these transgenders through some NGOs working for their wellbeing and rehabilitationNow more community members are approaching us with the request to induct them We are also talking to some private firms and organisations where they can carry out a similar initiative he saidPatil has deployed some of the recruited transgenders as security guards outside his own cabin at the civic body headquartersRupa Taksal 31 a transwoman has been recruited as a security guard and is currently deployed outside the commissioners officeI never sought alms on streets Before being recruited here I worked in an NGO as a project assistant and counsellor I had also worked as a logistics assistant with Mitr Clinic which is the first transgender clinic in India When openings for transgenders were announced in the PCMC I decided to join but there was an expectation from me that I should help other members also to secure jobs she saidShe added that she insisted that transmen who become male from female should also get jobs as they face a lot of issues in terms of earning their livelihoodsI helped 20 transgenders to complete their documentation obtain necessary certificates and helped them get the job here at the civic body she addedThe gesture showed my the PCMC and the commissioner has overwhelmed the community It is the happiest moment for me and several others for getting a dignified job right outside the cabin of the commissioner she saidTaksal recently married Prem Lotlikar a transman who was also employed as a green marshal by the same civic bodyLotlikar said the decision to employ transmen and transwomen is the best one as it will give a ray of hope and opportunity to several others who are currently seeking alms on the roadsShaina Roy a transwoman who has been working as a security guard at the PCMCrun Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital YCMH credited Taksal for bringing about a transformational change in her lifeI used to collect alms at the signals and shops but one day I met Taksal madam I was impressed by her personality behaviour professionalism and the way she was leading her life She motivated me and prepared me for this job and helped me to get this employment she addedRoy said that she was overjoyed to get the job offer and be able to work at such a government establishmentShe said she gets Rs 16000 per month after all the deductions She added that although the amount is a little lower than the money she used to earn by seeking alms at signals she is now happy with the jobToday wearing a uniform I walk past the same shops and signals where I once used to seek money from people When I pass by the shops donning the uniform the same shop owner now sees me with respect One shop owner said Maam you have become a police personnel now a tearful Roy saidNikita Mukhyadal 34 who used to work as a beautification before getting a job as a security assistant said that this initiative will help change peoples perspective towards them and encourage the community members to come forward and lead a normal dignified lifeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever