The IT giant had circulated various advisories in the past few days offering free company transport to ensure employees came in; over at Aegis Ltd (Top left, inset), staff works in close proximity at full capacity

Karnataka

coronavirus

Infectious

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EMI

The effects of the total lockdown and invoking of section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the city seems to have eluded the campuses of some IT firms. In fact, one of the country’s biggest software companies that has a base at Hinjawadi Phase II has persevered with its operations, despite one of its employees testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.Its reaction to the development was merely to shut down two of its 11 buildings on the campus for two days, allowing employees working in those offices to work from home only while they sanitised the space. Much to the dismay of its remaining 600 employees, the management informed them of the episode on Sunday evening, but team leaders still insisted they show up at work on Monday.Clearly upset, an employee scoffed, “The promoters claim to be philanthropists and have even contributed towards setting up quarantine facilities in. But what about us? Should they not show some concern for the people who work for them? The management seems uncaring and devoid of any comprehension of the magnitude of the problem they face, should more employees start testing positive for COVID-19.Most of the people employed here come from middle-class homes and are mortally scared of losing their jobs. They will do anything asked of them.”In one of the communications sent by the employer, it was stated, “In continuation with our commitment to provide a high degree of support and safe environment to our employees, transport will be offered free of cost between March 23 and April 5.” This has not impressed the employees. “A free commute does not mitigate the health risks we are being put to. We are not aware of the places on campus the concerned employee visited before testing positive (for novel). She must have accessed the cafeteria and been in direct contact with some of her colleagues. Even those who shared workspace with her will be back in office on Wednesday. Our team leaders called up the divisional commissioner and sought his permission to continue operations out of our offices.”The 21-year-old techie who tested positive for COVID-19 was a relative of the 41-year-old woman who has been identified as the first case of community infection in the state. The girl was quarantined on Saturday and her test results came on Sunday. She is currently being treated at NaiduDiseases. Insiders revealed that the woman worked in SDB4 which also housed the Food Court-1, which she frequented. The other building evacuated is the one adjacent to SDB4, as there is a possibility that she may have accessed those premises too.Making no bones about its intent to carry on business as usual, another communication sent out to employees stated, “Note that while section 144 (of Criminal Procedure Code/CrPC) has been invoked in Pune, it does not stop any of us from coming to work or using company transport.“An employee who travels from Viman Nagar to Hinjawadi, explained her predicament, “I am risking my life for this job. But I have no option given that I have to take care of my monthly bills and an, I cannot afford a pay cut as has been offered by the company for those who choose to stay home. Not everybody coming into the office is wearing a mask. The sanitisers made available in the office are mixed with water. There is much talk about ensuring our safety in the work-place but the ground reality is very different.”Others too fault the safety measures of the company, with the thermal screening not functioning and instead of social distancing employees are being allowed to crowd common spaces such as the bay area and canteens. Harpreet Saluja, secretary, National Information Technology Employee Sena, has raised these concerns about this company with the divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar as well as the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). “There are thousands of worried employees who are in panic. Based on updates from them we are taking up their concerns with the authorities,” he told Mirror.Then again, at Yerwada’s Commercezone, another company, Aegis Ltd is working at full capacity. A customer support service entity, the company had over 500 employees working on its premises on Monday, with absolutely no regard for social distancing. “As soon as we get to know of such instances we post it on different social media platforms and ensure it reaches all concerned government authorities and some action is taken,” said Pavanjit Mane, who used be part of the recently dissolved Federation of IT Employees (FITE).On condition of anonymity an employee of Aegis revealed, “We questioned the management on why so many employees are allowed to work. They insisted that they had the permissions from the district collector to do so. Our work is mostly in research and making calls which can easily done from home without risking our lives.”For his part, the district collector Naval Kishore Ram stated categorically, “Even if the companies are operating they have to ensure that not more than 30 per cent of the employees are on their premises and that they are seated at safe distance from each other. I will look into this matter at the earliest.”Efforts to reach the IT behemoth as well as Aegis did not elicit any response.