KCCI Urges Govt to Retain Sub Regional Mangaluru Office of ESIC
Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Urges Govt to Retain Sub Regional Mangaluru Office of ESIC (Employees’ State Insurance Corporation)
Mangaluru: In a communication to Team Mangalorean, Ms Vathika Pai- President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry- Mangaluru that Govt. intends to close Sub Regional Office of ESIC-therefore KCCI urges retention of Mangaluru Office. Ms Pai mentions that KCCI has already addressed a letter to Shri Santhosh Gangwar, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. of India on the subject captioned.
Vathika Pai- President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry- Mangaluru
She has also requested Mangalorean.com to publish the said letter to the Minister in order to create wide awareness of all concerned to raise their voice to retain the Mangaluru Sub Regional Office of the ESIC here itself to facilitate the needs of Employees and Employers of this region. “We have also represented similarly to the concerned State Minister, Executives of the Government and MLAs and the MP of D. K. District for their needful action to retain the Mangaluru Office to function as usual” adds Vathika Pai
Following is the letter addressed the Hon’ble Minister:
To Shri Santhosh Gangwar, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. of India, Shram Shakti Bhavan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi – 110001.
Respected Sir,
Sub: Closure of Sub-Regional Office of ESIC at Mangaluru
Greetings from Kanara Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mangaluru, a District level Chamber engaged in promoting Trade, Commerce, Industry and general welfare of the people in the erstwhile Dakshina Kannada District for the over 77 years. We understand that a proposal is being put forth for the closure of the Sub-regional Office of the ESIC (Employees’ State Insurance Corporation) at Mangaluru. We, at KCCI, strongly believe that closure of the SRO at Mangaluruwill lead to hardships to all the businesses and industries operating in this region along with lakhs of employees covered under ESI.
Closing of Sub-Regional Office at Mangaluru which is geographically distant from the Regional office in Bangalore would adversely affect the efficiency of service to both, the employers and the employees of our region. Employers from our region will need to commute long distances to the Regional office, for attending personal hearings in connection with notices issued to them, determination of contribution, damages payable by them, etc. It will increase the cost of compliance and appeals for the employers as they will have to approach the Regional Office in Bangalore for the same, thus putting all the stakeholders in difficulty. Employees registered under ESI in our region will also have to wait for settlement of their benefit claims related to accidents, maternity, etc. for a long time.
Santhosh Gangwar, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge),
Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. of India,
We at KCCI, feel that the presence of the Sub – Regional Office here in Mangaluru has ensured better administration, streamlining of operations, quick decision making as well as better accessibility and approachability for employees and employers, along with better coordination with the associated hospitals. After the SRO at Mangaluru was made operational, all the sites of Hospitals, as well as Dispensaries, have been functioning very well online thus, serving all the employees and their families. This has also expedited the process of medical treatments and referrals to tie-up hospitals for advanced treatments.
Moreover, the Sub-Regional Office at Mangalore is catering to the needs a very substantial number of employees, of not just Mangaluru, but also of all the nearby towns and villages. It is currently catering to more than 2 lakh employees and more than 5,000 organizations of our region. Thus, we appeal to your good self to positively consider our appeal to retain the Sub Regional Office of ESIC at Mangaluru and relieve all the employers and employees of this region of future hardships, thus facilitating ease of doing business. We look forward to your positive reply and favorable action in this regard. Thanking you.
Yours Sincerely,
Vathika Pai
President-KCCI