Rescued labourers reached hometown in Orissa

TITLAGARH - Seventy-seven labourers, who were rescued from a brick factory in Bangalore, returned to their hometown in Titlagarh in Orissa’s Bolangir District on Monday.

The labourers had migrated in search of livelihood and they were forced to work as bonded labour in Bangalore.

The labourers were freed on Saturday when the district administration of Bangalore, along with human rights activists intervened.

“Seventy-seven labourers were rescued from bonded labourers situation in a brick factory in Bangalore. The district administration of Bolangir gave the information to district administration of Bangalore and upon intimation to us, we assisted the Bangalore district administration and rescued seventy-seven victims, including children,” said Emanuel, a human right activist.

The labourers said they were ill-treated and were not paid wages.

“There the boss didn’t give us any money and if we asked about the wages he used to beat and torture us. We were not given sufficient food or medicine,” said Harihar Suna, a rescued labourer.

Thousands of labourers migrate from Bolangir district every year as the State’s job guarantee schemes fail to attract them.

However, the district administration has assured that the labourers would be employed in the ongoing projects.

“In each and every village, we have initiated large number of projects and people will be engaged in those projects,” said Sanjay Kumar Hawda, Project Director, district rural development agency. By Sarada Lahangir (ANI)