Private Sector Urged to Build Housing for Women Workers in Oragadam

In Oragadam and across the Sriperumbudur-Chennai manufacturing corridor, industry leaders and experts are calling on private sector companies to take a larger role in building affordable housing, recreation, and community facilities for guest workers, particularly women. With industrial centers in Chennai, Sriperumbudur, Oragadam, Hosur, Coimbatore, and Tiruppur increasingly depending on women workers migrating from other districts and states, safe accommodation close to workplaces has become vital for attracting and retaining labor.

Industry experts contend that manufacturing firms cannot view workers solely as a source of manpower while leaving accommodation entirely to government agencies or individual employers. Instead, establishing a dedicated ecosystem of private workforce infrastructure is seen as a way to relieve pressure on plant management while providing migrant workers with safer, more affordable living conditions.

To help address this deficit, workforce infrastructure developer Nia.one has begun rolling out integrated facilities known as Sram Parks. The company has already opened its first Sram Park in Oragadam and plans to establish at least five such facilities across the Sriperumbudur-Chennai belt, alongside expansion plans in Hosur, Coimbatore, and Tiruppur. Nationwide, Nia.one aims to set up around 80 Sram Parks to provide housing and essential services at subsidised rates.

Sachin Chhabra, co-founder and CEO of Nia.one, emphasized that India's manufacturing ambitions require stable workforce infrastructure alongside factory development. He explained that building continuity, belonging, and financial stability for guest workers helps manufacturers improve productivity while making migration worthwhile for the workers powering the economy.

The housing requirement is especially critical for young women employed in electronics, textiles, garments, and advanced manufacturing. Lacking safe, affordable accommodation near factories, women often face safety concerns, high informal housing costs, or barriers to taking up shift work.

Ramya Sampath, chief human resources officer at Saint-Gobain India, noted that companies face growing pressure to create supportive environments as women's workforce participation rises. She stated that while Tamil Nadu industries have set examples through monitoring committees and workplace safety mechanisms, private accommodation projects close to industrial clusters give women and their families greater confidence when taking jobs away from home.

Industry leaders suggest a partnership model where the government facilitates land, connectivity, and basic infrastructure, employers support worker welfare, and private operators build and manage integrated facilities featuring healthcare, childcare, banking, food outlets, and skill-development centers.