The district administration with the assistance of Foundation for Sustainable Development, a non-governmental organisation, on Tuesday rescued 29 bonded labourers, including women and children, from a sugarcane field at Kaatueegaipudur near Panruti in the district.
The labourers included 11 children and 10 women belonging to the Irula tribal community. They were brought from their native village eight years ago to work in the farm and made to work for more than 12 hours a day.
According to K. Krishnan, Executive Director of Foundation for Sustainable Development, the eight families, including children aged between 4 and 16 years, had to work everyday without a break from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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The families had taken a loan of ₹10,000 each from the contractor Sekar for repaying which, they were working in different farms.
Mr. Krishnan said the children were not allowed to go to school and one member from each family was kept confined when the others left to their native place to attend temple festivals.
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“We received information about this group after some of their relatives were rescued from bonded labour in Pudukottai district six months ago. The contractor frequently shifted the families to different districts and engaged them for farm work,” he said.
Foundation for Sustainable Development lodged a complaint with the district administration. A team led by Sub-Collector Sarayu and Labour Inspector Venkatesan visited the farm and rescued them. A detailed inquiry was conducted and arrangements were made to send them to their native place. Mr. Krishnan said the police are on the lookout to nab three persons in the group who fled the farm before the team arrived.
The police have registered a case under Section 16 and 17 of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 as well as the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016.