Pimpri Chinchwad SME association wants action against ‘unauthorised’ Mathadi workers

Sandeep Belsare, the president of the Small Scale Industries Association of Pimpri Chinchwad, said the number of unauthorised Mathadi workers in the area has gone up manifold. Mathadi workers are labourers who are employed by industries to load or unload heavy material within their premises. The Mathadi board is supposed to maintain a list of authorised workers who the industries can employ by paying the fixed rates to the board. However, industries have often complained of harassment by unauthorised loaders who obstruct work and try to extract money from businesses.

Last year, the matter had reached the district collector when a group of German companies operating in the Chakan industrial area had complained about the activities of such unauthorised Mathadis. The district collector had asked relevant authorities to take action. In want of the strict implementation of the Mathadi Act, industries said many unscrupulous elements have become active in the field. Often, industries refrain from filing official complaints as they fear repercussions. Taking advantage of the lax policing in the area, many petty criminals have started operating as Mathadis in industrial areas.

During the meeting, Belsare and other industrialists also raised the issue of lax policing in the industrial area. Small and medium scale industries, Belsare said, suffer from the lack of visible policing which has led to the theft of scrap and other items in the industrial units. Safety of woman workers is another concern which forces many units not to allocate second shifts to their woman workers, he said.

History sheeters, industrialists said, are also active in the area which has added to the threat perception in the area. “We want the police to take immediate action against such elements and help the industrial areas to function normally,” said Belsare.