Seven bonded labourers were rescued from a poultry farm of Namakkal by the Dharmapuri police.
Sources said that Siva (37), his wife Chitra (30), and their children Thenmozhi (15), Santhoshkumar (12), Thamizharasu (11) and relatives Sundari (40) and Guru (25) were working as bonded labourers in a poultry farm in Sanankadu village of Tiruchengode in Namakkal district for the past five years for a paltry sum of Rs 500 as a monthly wage.
Meanwhile, on September 13, Guru, one of the bonded labourers, escaped from the poultry farm and lodged a complaint to the Superintendent of Police Asra Garg about the condition of others.
Acting on his complaint, the SP formed a special team and rescued the remaining six labourers from the farm.
Siva, one of the rescued labourers, told, “we took an advance amount of Rs 28,000. As part of repayment process, we were forced to work 18 hours a day in the farm. While at the farm not even basic amenities were provided to us. Moreover, whenever the poultry owner consumes liquor, he had a habit of thrashing us, including our children.” More pathetic was that when my wife Chitra was injured in a small accident at the poultry farm, she was not even provided with medical care, he complained.
District collector ordered the officials to provide proper medical assistance to the rescued labourers and ensure that their wards were enrolled in schools.
Enquires are on with the poultry farm.
Harur MLA Dilli Babu, who petitioned the Collector, said that the district administration should take quick and necessary action to get appropriate wages for the labourers from the farm where they had worked for the past five years.