29 bonded labourers from T.N. rescued in Karnataka

By Our Staff Reporter

TUTICORIN, AUG. 26. As many as 29 bonded labourers, including 9 children, belonging to Tamil Nadu were rescued from confectionary units in Karnataka and brought here on Friday.

The Tuticorin District Collector, Mr. M. Malik Feroze Khan, told The Hindu here today that following a complaint by Mr. K. Ganesan, State vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Arunthadhiar Sangam, the State Government took up the issue with the Davangere district administration in Karnataka. The young bonded labourers hailed from Tuticorin, Dindigul, Madurai, Erode and Pudukottai districts, and were working in five candy- making factories in Davangere district in Karnataka.

When the Tamil Nadu Government contacted officials in Davangere, the latter raided the five confectionary units at Shivaji Nagar, Basavarajpet, Venkabhovi Colony, Yellamman Nagar and Vinayaka Nagar on August 19 and 20. The labourers were working there under a ``deplorable and unhygienic'' condition, officials said.

The Davangere district administration pointed out that the factory owners, also hailing from Tamil Nadu, had been forcing the labourers to work in a tiny room from 4.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m., besides making them to stay in the same place without basic amenities. Enquiries revealed that the employers did not even provide enough food to the workers, who were neither allowed to go out of the factory nor talk to any ``outsider''. The labourers were not aware of even their wages.

Narrating their horrendous experience, the boys had told the officials that they were being harassed and were beaten for not ``obliging'' the employers. Cases have been registered under the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act 1961 for employment of child labour and Minimum Wages Act 1948.

While the Karnataka Government distributed a dole of Rs. 5,000 to each of the 29 rescued bonded labourers, the Tuticorin district administration has already handed over Rs. 1,000 each, to be followed by another cash relief of Rs. 9,000 shortly.

As part of the rehabilitation measures, family members of the rescued boys will be enrolled as members of the self-help groups in their locality, so that they could avail themselves of loans with subsidy under the Swarnajayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojana, apart from joining the relevant vocational training programmes, the Collector, Mr. Malik Feroze Khan, added.

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