TIRUPATTUR: More than six months have passed since a family of four from Vellore district was liberated from alleged bonded labour from a brick kiln in Bairapalli in Mittalam panchayat near Ambur. They are yet to receive their bonded labour release certificates, the delay has deprived them of compensation and other livelihood assistance they are entitled to from the government.
The family – Sathish (30), Sangeetha (27), Karthikeyan (9) and Tharun (6) – from the Irular community, now resides in Vasanthan Nagar in Kuppambattu in a makeshift hut without a shelter. Dried palm leaves fill their hut, which they collect and sell for a living now. To support his family, Sathish has returned to work at another brick kiln in Vellore.
Liberated after two years
Since the end of 2021, they had worked for two whole years at a brick kiln run by one Nagaraj, from whom the family had obtained an advance of Rs 40,000 at an exorbitant interest rate to settle their previous debts. The family claimed they were denied minimal wages, with a lack of facilities and freedom of movement; claimed the children, often skipping school, were forced to toil at the kiln. In 2023, Sangeetha’s family reached out to theire relatives, who contacted National Adivasi Solidarity Council (NASC), a non-governmental organisation, for assistance. The NASC petitioned the then Vaniyambadi RDO P Premalatha.
On November 7, 2023, upon the intervention of a team comprising the RDO, then Ambur Tahsildar Kumari, police and local authorities, the family was rescued from the brick kiln. During the inquiry, it was revealed that Sathish worked around 15 hours a day, Sangeetha for 10 hours and the two children three hours a day.
They were together paid a sum of Rs 1,500 per week, from which some amount was deducted for rice and daal, the RDO’s order stated. Speaking to TNIE, Sangeetha said, “Even the Rs 1,500 was paid once every two weeks and it was a struggle to get that money from Nagaraj.” The family alleged that Nagaraj threatened to harm them if they attempted to return to Kuppambattu. Nagaraj, during an inquiry, alleged that he was unaware of obtaining a permit to run a brick kiln and that the family never requested to return to their native.
The RDO’s order, however, concluded that the four were not bonded labourers, based on the observations that the family possessed a mobile phone, identity cards, a motorbike, sent their children to a school, and visited local VAO office to apply for community certificates for the children. The couple and activists claimed that their working conditions clearly amounted to bonded labour.
Denied assistance
NASC Executive Director K Krishnan said, “According to the revamped central sector scheme for rehabilitation of bonded labourers, each of them is supposed to get an immediate financial aid of `30,000. Besides, men are entitled to an aid of `1 lakh, while women and children are entitled to `2 lakh if the accused gets convicted. They also benefit from economic development initiatives.” He argued that Sathish had to leave their children at the kiln while visiting the VAO office and such instances cannot be considered as true freedom of movement.
According to a Supreme Court order, he said, an individual is deemed a bonded labourer when forced to work as repayment for a loan, often trapped into working for very little or no pay, thus violating Articles 21 and 23 of the Constitution. RDO J Ajitha Begum said that as the previous order did not term the family “bonded labourers,” they must appeal to higher authorities for relief. Collector K Tharpagaraj assured that he would look into the issue.