Fifty-five child labourers, rescued during the special raids from different shops and establishments, were produced in the Open Court organised by the Labour Department here on Wednesday.
Assistant Commissioner of Labour (ACL) D. Anjaneya Reddy, who conducted the proceedings, imposed ₹1.85 lakh as penalty on the employers, who engaged children for work. The amount would be paid to the children through banks, he said.
Special drive
As part of the 10-day special drive, officials of the Labour Department under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Labour (DCL) P.V.S. Subramanyam raided hotels, cinemas, restaurants, mechanic sheds, shops and some manufacturing units and rescued children aged below 15 years, engaged in work.
“Due to poverty and disturbed families, the children dropped out of primary and high school and joined shops and other establishments. Some children were engaged in hazardous work, but were paid less wages”, Mr. Anjaneya Reddy told The Hindu. The Labour Department officials summoned the employers, parents and guardians of the children in the court and counselled them. They warned them of severe action, if they engaged children for works.
Assistant Labour Officers Kishore, Nanaji, Vali, Ratna Kumari, Lakshmi, Muniswamy and Nayak produced the rescued child labours in the court.Under Right to Education Act, 2009, children should be admitted in schools and under Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, children should not be engaged in works under any circumstances, the DCL said.
“Owners of many establishments violated the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and were paying fewer wages to the children. We will open bank accounts in the names of the children rescued during raids, and the penalties collected from the establishment owners’, would be credited into the accounts of the children,” Mr. Anjaneya Reddy said.