PICTURE SPEAK

CALLING ATTENTION: Women IAS officers complain to Patil

Maharashtra may boast of being a progressive state, providing equal opportunities to all its denizens, but a woman IAS officer could show you the real face of the egalitarian state. Senior women IAS officers-barely five-six years away from retirement-have now come together to fight gender-based professional discrimination. From discussing their woes among themselves in luncheon meetings to finally lodging official complaints, they have finally come out of the closet.

Records show that a woman has never risen beyond the rank of principal secretary in the Maharashtra administration. Chitkala Zutshi has become the first woman additional chief secretary only this year. Resentment was visible when they first let out their fury at a casual meeting with Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil. On March 8 he hosted a party to celebrate Women's Day with women IAS officials. "We told him how we felt about the discrimination against women officers and he agreed to take some action," says Leena Mehandale, principal secretary, Animal Husbandry Department.

GENDER BIAS WOMEN NEVER GOT TO BE

BMC Municipal Commissioner Chief Secretary Principal Secretary of Revenue; Urban Development; Finance; Housing; Industries, Energy and Labour Departments WOMEN CHIEF SECYS RULED Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh BIG DATES NOVEMBER 2004: Nidhi Pandey case triggers talk of discrimination MARCH 8, 2006: Dy CM hosts tea for women officers on Women's Day and they complain about discrimination END MARCH, 2006: Patil writes to CM MAY 15, 2006: A five-member team of women IAS officers meets Chief Secretary D.K. Sankaran with a list of demands NIDHI PANDEY CASE Deepak Pandey was accused by his wife Nidhi Pandey of extreme violence and dowry demands in April 2004. Women IAS officers sought action from the DGP. After this, Patil asked the Mumbai Police to treat Nidhi's complaint as fir and proceed against Deepak.

Meanwhile Patil has taken up the ladies' cause. "I feel discrimination exists and it has really upset the lady officers. They were worried that the Government doesn't trust them enough to give important portfolios," says Patil. He claims to have written to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh asking the Government to be more considerate towards the demands of these women.

Some male officers wonder why the women are complaining now, when they have not raised a hue and cry for so many years. "We all happened to be posted together at the Mantralaya at the same time and started discussing matters. That is when we realised that it was time to take action," says a lady officer. Incidentally, what brought these women closer was Nidhi Pandey case in April 2004.

Pandey, an IAS officer, was allegedly tortured and physically abused by her husband Deepak Pandey, who was ADC to the then governor Mohammed Fazal. "We marched up to the DGP's office asking him to speed up investigations in the matter as Nidhi was singled out and was demoralised," says an officer. While fighting for her cause, the others also realised their own dilemmas in the workplace.

Another lesser known fact about these women officers is that they led a rebellion against male dominance in district collectorship, and even got their demands met. "Previously, women were never transferred as district collectors. We were shunted off to small posts in Mantralaya and were considered work-shirking officers for no apparent reason. In 1979 we led a conclave to the then chief secretary to express our discontent. It was then that Gokhale was made the first lady collector," says an officer.

Women officers feel that certain portfolios like principal secretary in urban development, finance, revenue and infrastructure departments are never given to them. "We are here because we want to contribute to the governance. We are not intellectually weak and we have been proving that. We are usually given departments like social welfare or women and child welfare," says an official.

"We are a part of the Indian Administrative Services, it is after all a service that we have to provide. Our efficiency will definitely be affected if our contribution is regarded unimportant," says Gokhale.

However, Neela Satyanarayan, principal secretary, forests, has a more neutral stand on the issue. "I don't feel the discrimination. I am the first woman to have been posted in the Forests Department and on several occasions, the Government has shown recognition of my efforts. In fact, we are treated as officers and not men and women in this service," she says. However, for Satyanarayan, too, it may not be an exception, as she may be the in-charge but is still number two in the coveted Forests and Revenue Department.

One of the reasons why politicians prefer having a man instead of a woman IAS officer as his secretary is that they are comfortable dealing with male officers on a day-to-day basis. According to a minister in the state Government, women cannot be disturbed at all hours of the day. "A chief secretary's post is very demanding. They need to be available on duty at all hours and more so in an emergency situation. Somehow we feel that a woman cannot be asked to come to work at all odd hours," he says.

"Our efficiency will definitely be affected if our contribution is regarded unimportant." SHARWAREE GOKHALE, FIRST LADY DISTRICT COLLECTOR "We are treated as officers and not men and women in this service." NEELA SATYANARAYAN, PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, FORESTS

However, the lady officers say that it is an unwarranted opinion. "There are several male officers who take short naps after lunch or go home early. It is irrelevant, as long as the required work is done by the officers," says a senior lady official.

Women officers feel that for a layman it is difficult to understand their dilemma. "Most people feel we have fat portfolios and therefore we have no reason to complain. However, they don't realise that we always remain number two in our respective departments," says an official.

What also matters is which minister the officials are accountable to. A powerful minister will definitely command a better portfolio for an official.

What remains to be seen now is how the chief minister will react to the complaints. Three months after Patil claims he apprised the chief minister about the problem, Deshmukh is clueless. "I have not received any such complaint or letter," he says. For a country where the IAS topper this year is a woman-Mona Pruthi-,the situation is rather discouraging.

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