A 300-strong contingent of police led by DCP (South) V. Satyanarayana, who rescued 200-odd children from different houses after conducting a cordon and search operation, were appalled to see the conditions in which they were working .
20-30 in a room
Most of the children are below 12 years of age and hail from Bihar. They were brought here by the bangle unit owners who are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. “The owners of the units pay an advance of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 to the parents of the children. A sum of Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 5,000 is paid as salary every month,” Mr. Satyanarayana said.
Officials were shocked to find 20 to 30 children crammed in a single room.
“The employer did not bother to provide the children blankets or warm clothes. Instead, they installed CCTV cameras to monitor their work and would not hesitate to beat them up for poor performance,” the shocked official said.
Although the Labour Department raided a few premises a few months ago and rescued about 40 children not much has changed in the area dominated by cottage industries.
“A network of brokers and owners is active in the area. The broker strikes a deal with the parents and sends the children along with the unit owner,” a Labour Department official said. The police took into custody a few brokers and employers for exploiting the children and booked them for criminal offences.
