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CHANDIGARH: It is just one of the three filling stations which Chandigarh has where all employees are women. But that is not just why it stands out. It has made it a point to reserve the opportunity of working only for girls from the poor section of society.
"I have been working here for the past 18 months. Initially, I was reluctant to take up this job as this was the first filling station in the city to recruit women only. But now, I have no fears. Besides, I am also able to support my family," says Jerami who hails from Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu. Her companion Julie, also from Tamil Nadu, says working at the Bharat Petroleum filling station in Sector 4 here has given her confidence that women too can work with men in all fields. Neetu from Rohtak in Haryana also enjoys her job and says she has an ambition to finance her studies, which she had to give up in between by working here. "I want to study further and want to use the money I earn here to get good education," says Neetu who has passed matriculation examination. Lata and Puja from Uttaranchal say the filling station owner pays them around Rs 3000 per month besides they also get conveyance allowance of Rs 500 and other benefits. Ask them if they face any kind of difficulty, most of the girls, of whom unmarried, say initially when the pump had recruited them the men folk used to be taken by surprise but gradually they too have got adjusted. "We are a group of seven girls and all of us work in the day shift. There is no problem as such. Even the people who come to get the fuel filled like polite and well-mannered girls and they say that more and more pumps should have girls working there," says Puja. The owner of the pump, who is also a woman, says she takes special care of her girl staff and often provides them with food, uniform and even medicines. "These girls are from poor background. I want to provide them an opportunity where they can earn a living and also nurture their dreams because they are still very young," says the pump owner Nihar Mahinder Singh. Nihar says there are no problems in managing an all-women filling station except there are odd occasions like when a person tries to take undue advantage of their being fairer sex by not paying up. "The positive side is that girls are more sincere and dedicated and we get a good feedback about them from the public," Nihar says. To ensure their security, Nihar has also installed close circuit cameras and she monitors movements of public at her terminal in her home nearby.
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