BENGALURU: A Bengaluru-based railway contractor and his associates have been booked, and seven child labourers rescued near Settihalli Railway Station by the Labour department and organisations working for rights of children on Saturday. An FIR has been filed against them at the Government Railway Police station at Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna railway station.
The contractor, Govindaraj Nagamuni (47) of Sachin Construction based in Nelamangala, is the prime accused, while his associates Durgaiah (40) from Ramanapete village in Telangana and Venkatesh Gujjalu (26) from Gurugundla Village in Andhra Pradesh have been named in the FIR. The children from Telangana had accompanied their parents to work on the project between Ramanagara and Yeliyur.
DG Sumathi, State Co-ordinator, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, who got a tipoff on child labour, said, “We found three girls and four boys working along with their parents. They were all below 18 years old. The youngest is 12 years and 6 months and the oldest 17 years and six months. It is not a case of trafficking as parents were also working with their children.”
“The nature of their job was hazardous and risky. They were placing crushed stones on the railway tracks and levelling them,” she said. The Aadhaar cards of children seemed fake as the addresses did not have pincodes and had other details missing, she added. The contractor has agreed to pay a penalty of Rs 1.4 lakh, at Rs 20,000 per child. The Labour Department will also pay Rs 15,000 for a child.
“The money will be deposited as an FD in the child’s name and will be handed over after they turn 18 years old,” Sumathi said. The court may also impose fines on the contractor. Vidyarayana Open Shelter for Children played a role in the rescue.