BENGALURU: Three families comprising 15 members were rescued from bonded labour from a sugarcane farm in Kallubyadrahalli village of Holenarasipur taluk, Hassan district, on Tuesday. The rescue operation was conducted by the district administration and Holenarasipur Rural Police with assistance from Shantha Jeeva Jyothi, an NGO. Police said that the supervisor of the sugarcane-cutting unit was arrested and booked under the provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act and other sections of the IPC.
“Of the 15 labourers, five are men, three women and seven children. The children, aged between 10 and 14, were also forced to work at the unit and were not allowed to go to school. The families were originally from Bhadravathi in Shivamogga district and were held as bonded labourers for four years,” the police said.
“When they first came to work, each family was paid an advance of Rs 1,500. The families were in abject poverty and were desperate for even this meagre advance. They were also promised fair wages and good living and working conditions. The supervisor would transport the labourers to different sugarcane farms in regions like Channarayapatna, Holenarasipur, Hosapete, Ranebennur, Harihar and Hirekerur to harvest sugarcane. Each family was paid only Rs 300-500 once in 15 days,” the police added.
“The labourers were only given tarpaulin sheets which they had to use to make tents to live at wherever they worked. They were not provided any facilities like toilets, electricity, etc. The male labourers were made to work from 6 am to 8 pm, whereas the female labourers were made to work from 6 am to 6 pm. The labourers were only allowed one lunch break for 30 minutes each day. They were not provided week off,” the police added.