CHENNAI: In a major crackdown on bonded labour, 43 workers from Odisha, including 14 children, were rescued from a brick kiln in Voyalanallur near Tirumazhisai in Tiruvallur district. The workers had been forced to toil for long hours for nearly three months, with only Rs 100 per person per week to cover food and other expenses, officials said.
The labour department received an email complaint about bonded labourers at the kiln on Tuesday. Acting on the complaint, police and officials from multiple departments, including revenue, the child welfare committee, and the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), conducted an inspection. They rescued the workers and shifted them to a community hall. The revenue department has since issued 32 release certificates, including for children. These certificates enable the rescued workers to receive financial aid and access government schemes meant for bonded labourers.
According to sources, the workers, brought as families from Odisha’s Bargarh and Balangir districts, were trafficked through an agent. The kiln owners had paid each worker between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000, while the agent received Rs 15,000 per worker to bring them to Tamil Nadu in early January. After two months of gruelling work, the labourers sought to return home. However, the owners refused to let them leave and paid them just Rs 100 per person per week.
The workers were not provided food and had to procure ration rice from the village and cook for themselves. Except for fetching supplies, they were not allowed to leave the brick kiln, even for medical emergencies, sources added.
“We have booked train tickets for them on Wednesday night as per their request. We have also arranged Rs 30,000 per worker for initial rehabilitation and recommended that the Odisha government assist them in finding employment. The Village Administrative Officer has filed a police complaint,” said S Ravichandran, RDO of Tiruvallur.
However, the kiln owners are absconding. Officials also said that the police are trying to track the agent who brought the workers to the state.
Based on complaints received, the DLSA, through the One Stop Crisis Team (OSCT), conducts spot inspections and provides legal support to trafficked individuals, said K Nalinidevi, secretary of the Tiruvallur DLSA.