Why is Noida District Magistrate Medha Roopam, Daughter of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Making Headlines?

On the 15th of April, Medha Roopam, the first woman DM of Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), found herself in the middle of a political and social firestorm. The district was shaken by violent protests this week as workers demanding wage revisions clashed with authorities, leading to torched vehicles and vandalised police vans.

As factory workers continue to protest violently across Noida, District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) Medha Roopam has come under the spotlight.

In the midst of turmoil t, the district magistrate kept her calm and assessed the situation along with Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh. Roopam further instructed officials to monitor the situation effectively.

Who is Medha Roopam?

Roopam is an IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre of the 2014 batch. She has previously served in districts such as Meerut, Baghpat, Hapur and Kasganj. She also has the distinction of being the first female District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar.

 She was serving as District Magistrate Kasganj prior to her posting as District Magistrate Gautam Buddha Nagar. Earlier in April 2022, she was posted as District Magistrate of Hapur. After that she took up the position of Additional Chief Executive Officer, Greater Noida Authority. She completed her schooling in Kerala and graduated in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. She is a national-level shooter who won three gold medals in the Kerala State Shooting Championship and competed in the National Championship in 2009.

She is the daughter of Gyanesh Kumar, who is a 1988-batch Kerala cadre (IAS) officer and is the current Chief Election Commissioner.

Earlier this week, Roopam, announced a series of worker welfare measures urging labourers to maintain peace and stating that "violence is not the answer." She appealed to workers to maintain peace and normalcy and warned of strict action against those found indulging in violence and creating anarchy in the wake of the recent violent stir by labourers demanding a pay hike. Speaking to ANI, Roopam said, "I thank the Chief Minister and the high-powered committee for accepting the workers' primary demand of wage increase. Furthermore, other directives have been issued, including ensuring that workers' wages are credited to their accounts before the 10th of every month”.

The DM held an urgent meeting in her office chamber on Tuesday for reviewing compliance with the state government guidelines and maintain industrial peace across the district. The meeting was attended by outsourcing agencies and contractors associated with various industrial units. During the session, Roopam described outsourcing agencies and contractors as key stakeholders in sustaining industrial operations and generating employment. Appealing for cooperation, the DM urged all parties not to pay attention to rumours or misleading information and to work together in maintaining industrial harmony.

She stressed that agencies must ensure discipline among their employees and workers. She also issued a clear warning that any disruptive or unruly behaviour by an agency or its workers would make the agency accountable. Such cases could lead to blacklisting of the agency and cancellation of its licence.

The district magistrate directed all contractors to strictly adhere to government guidelines, particularly in ensuring payment of wages as per prescribed standards.

What’s the status of the unrest in Noida?

Following continued protests by factory workers in Noida, the Uttar Pradesh government announced an interim hike in minimum wages. The revised wages, effective from April 1, aim to provide relief to lakhs of workers across the state.

Unskilled workers will now earn Rs 13,690 instead of Rs 11,313. Semi-skilled workers will get Rs 15,059, up from Rs 12,445, while skilled workers will earn Rs 16,868 compared to Rs 13,940 earlier.

Political Backlash

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra took to social media to criticise Roopam’s way of handling the situation. This comes months after Medha Roopam faced criticism in connection with a separate incident involving the death of an engineer who drowned in a waterlogged pothole in Noida.

Moitra’s critique also took a personal turn, targeting Roopam’s father, Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.

“For all the ‘Gyan’, Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar gives Bengal on law and order, it is such a pity he did not teach his daughter the basics. Roopam being the District Magistrate of Noida is completely clueless about how to handle legitimate protests” says Mahua Moitra.