VELLORE: Eleven bonded labourers from Vellore, including six children below eight years of age, were rescued from a brick kiln in Kollamedu near the Andhra Pradesh border check-post on Sunday. The group, which also allegedly included a four-month-old infant, belongs to the Irular tribal community and comprises three families from Gudiyatham in Vellore district.
The operation was carried out by the Gudipala tahsildar from Chittoor district, with support from the Chittoor-based NGO Rural Organisation for Poverty Eradication Services (ROPES).
According to Ramesh, a member of ROPES who took part in the operation, a complaint received at the Vellore Collectorate on Saturday (November 22) was forwarded to the Gudipala taluk office. “Based on the information, we inspected the kiln on Sunday and rescued eleven bonded labourers. The owner was not present at the site. Action will be initiated against him and others in charge on Monday,” he said.
Several among the rescued recounted severe hardships.
Speaking to TNIE, K Bhaskar, one of rescued labourers, said the past two years had been “very tough”. CCTV cameras had been installed across the kiln premises, and the labourers were not permitted to step outside, he said.
“The children were not allowed to attend school. Each family was given Rs 500 a week, which was nowhere near enough to feed everyone. If the bricks were damaged due to rain, the cost was deducted from our wages,” he added.