Six bonded labourers, toddler rescued from Tiruvallur

Despite these conditions, many of the workers repaid more than half of the Rs 35,000 advance they had received from the owner and returned home a few days ago.
Officials with the rescued bonded workers from Odisha on Tuesday
Officials with the rescued bonded workers from Odisha on Tuesday(Photo | Express)
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CHENNAI: Six bonded labourers and a three-year-old child were rescued on Monday from a brick kiln in Sivanvoyal village in Tiruvallur district. According to officials, more than 70 labourers had been working at the kiln under harsh conditions, toiling 12 to 13 hours a day for nearly six months without access to water, electricity, proper food or adequate pay.

Despite these conditions, many of the workers repaid more than half of the Rs 35,000 advance they had received from the owner and returned home a few days ago. However, six workers who were unable to repay the full amount remained trapped until their rescue was carried out based on the information provided by the Odisha government.

Officials said the rescued workers belonged to three families, including one with a three-year-old child. The kiln’s owner had brought more than 80 labourers from Odisha’s Balangir district, paying each around `35,000 as an advance. The workers were housed in huts without electricity and paid only `500 per week per family.

To prevent them from going out, the owner also allegedly arranged treatment through a quack and administered medicines to the labourers. The district administration has since seized the stock of medicines. During the inspection, officials also found that the brick kiln was not registered under the Factories Act, 1948.

The rescue was initiated after one of the trapped workers, a 58-year-old, asked his son to send money to a nearby shop owner to help him come home. The Odisha officials got information from them and alerted the Tiruvallur district administration. The rescue was led by Tiruvallur revenue divisional Officer S Ravichandran and district legal services authority secretary K Nalini Devi.

“The victims have been issued release certificates and arrangements are being made to send them back home,” said Ravichandran. He added that the police have filed an FIR against the owner of Sai Bricks under various sections of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, along with trafficking and other relevant provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). In response to the recurring instances of bonded labour in the district, the district collector has directed tahsildars to inspect more than 250 brick kilns and submit detailed reports on labour conditions, said officials.

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