Chembur call centre will hire only the physically challenged

Three months ago, Rajeev Mehta, 30, was at his lemon juice stall in Ghatkopar when a friend told him about a call centre that was employing physically challenged persons.

Three months ago, Rajeev Mehta, 30, was at his lemon juice stall in Ghatkopar when a friend told him about a call centre that was employing physically challenged persons.

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Mehta, a polio patient since the age of three, promptly went for an interview the next day. In February, Mehta got selected and since then has been receiving training to improve his English, modulate his voice and learning to handle different types of customers through mock calls.

On Thursday, Eureka Forbes in association with the National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped (NASEOH) formally inaugurated EuroAble, a call centre that will be manned and operated by people such as Mehta.

“Working at EuroAble has given me the opportunity to be proud of who I am. I will earn Rs7,035 a month by working here. People in my locality look at me differently now,” said Mehta.

In 2008, Eureka Forbes set up a spare part rectification centre employing two physically challenged persons in the NASEOH premises. “We wanted to take this association to the next level and therefore decided to set up this call centre,” said Marzin Shroff, CEO — direct sales and senior vice-president — marketing, Eureka Forbes.

The centre is designed keeping in mind the needs of the physically challenged. The call centre will employ people recommended by NASEOH for at least 10 years. “If we find handicapped people with good communication skills, we send them to Eureka Forbes for an interview,” said Sudha Balchandra, director general, NASEOH.