COIMBATORE: Minister for Backward Classes Welfare V Sampath Kumar, along with Coimbatore Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar, on Saturday paid a visit to R Prakasam alias Prakash (39), who had gone missing in 2003 at the age of 16 and has now been reunited with his family after being rescued from alleged bonded labour in Punjab.
Speaking to reporters later, the minister said it was commendable that the youth, who suffered a lot while working as a bonded labourer in Punjab, was rescued due to the collector's sincere efforts.
The minister assured that the necessary relief fund would be provided to Prakash soon. He also said that there is a plan to provide him a house, and that the matter would be immediately brought to the CM's notice. "If anyone in Tamil Nadu is found to be engaging in bonded labour practices, the government will take stringent action. Industries must employ workers from other states only after obtaining proper documents, and legal action will be taken against companies that fail to follow this," said Minister Kumar.
Prakash left his home in Coimbatore in 2003 following a quarrel with his younger brother. He was rescued in 2022 by Sukhpal Singh of NGO Apna Farz Seva Society in Patiala, after a video allegedly showing him being held captive at a dairy farm near Amritsar, close to the Indo-Pakistan border, surfaced. In 2023, retired Haryana Vidhan Sabha official Subhash Chander initiated efforts to identify Prakash and his family. Finally, the family was identified near Neelambur in Coimbatore, and he was reunited with his mother Sundari on July 28 through the collective efforts of volunteers, government officials and NGOs.
On Saturday, after meeting Prakash, the minister inaugurated new classrooms in government schools at Sulur, Peedampalli, Alandurai, Sundapalayam and combined service centres for disabled persons at Karumathampatti, Senjerimalai, and Pooluvapatti near Thondamuthur.
In a separate event, the minister inaugurated the Bamboo Park developed at SIHS Colony in Kaveri Nagar, Singanallur, at a cost of Rs 2.36 crore under the corporation's general fund. Spread across 4.26 acres, the park has been opened for public use and features a walking track, yoga space, open-air theatre, outdoor gym, drinking water facility and public toilets. The minister also planted a sapling in the park premises and urged residents to make full use of the recreational space.
He also flagged off the construction of a stormwater drain on Thandalraman Street in Sanganoor, a project estimated to cost Rs 29.50 lakh. He instructed officials to expedite the work to improve rainwater drainage in the locality.
