A team from the Labour Department raided and rescued three child labourers who were involved in transporting gravel for roadwork in Heroor Gram Panchayat limits in Kundapur taluk on Thursday.
Prabhakar Acharya, District Project Director, District Child Labour Project Society, told The Hindu that the rescued boys had been identified as Peeru Saab, aged 11, son of Jamaal Saab; Ravi, aged 12, son of Kumar; and Sunil, aged about 11, son of Chandu. All the three were working with their parents.
All of them belong to Yennekoppa, Anavatti, in Sorab taluk of Shimoga district. The rescue operation was carried out on receiving a complaint from the Secretary of an NGO, Spoorthi Dhama, Keshav Koteshwar. The boys and their parents were hired by a contractor.
After rescuing the boys, the team took them to the Kundapur Taluk Government Hospital for medical examination, which referred them to the Udupi District Government Hospital. But the boys could not be brought to Udupi on Thursday because of delay. The medical examination would be done on March 31. After two or three days of the medical examination, the Labour Department would get a report on the exact age of the boys. Till that period, the three boys will remain at the Spoorthi Dhama at Kedur in Kundapur taluk.
Last month, the Labour Department had rescued a boy Raju (11), son of a stone quarry worker from Tamil Nadu, working in a hotel at Kota village. He was now lodged at the Spoorthi Dhama.
The department has been bearing the cost of food, accommodation, and other arrangements of the children at the Spoorthi Dhama. The department would be starting a residential school to house such children in the district within two months. After the residential school started functioning, the rescued children would be lodged there, Mr. Acharya said.
