AMBALA: A team including Ambala district officials and Convener Nirmal Gorana of NGO National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour (NCCEBL) from New Delhi on Thursday raided SBC brick kiln at village Gokalgarh in Mullana tehsil of district Ambala to rescue more than 40 scheduled caste bonded labourers . The members of the raiding team included convener Gorana, Mullana naib-tehsildar Amit Verma, district labour officer Avtar Singh, protected by the district police.As per the information, on February 18, 2019, NCCEBL received the information that more than 40 brick kiln scheduled caste labourers were working in a situation of bonded labour since November 2018 in the jurisdiction of Barara tehsil of Ambala. NCCEBL and Human Rights Law Networks, Delhi contacted Haryana based organisation Samajik Nyaay Sangathan which performed the job of recce with local support at the brick kiln to confirm the case of bonded labour at village Gokalpur.Following the information, the team intimated about the rescue to the Ambala deputy commissioner on February 19.On Thursday, the raiding team including naib-tehsildar, district labour officer, and station police officials was constituted on the orders of Barara sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) which found more than 40 dalit bonded labourers living with their minor children in filthy conditions at the kiln without any basic amenities and children without any access to education.The SBC brick kiln belongs to Madan Lal of village Gokalpur.In front of the district officials, the labourers recorded their statements alleging against the owner and contractor that, "We were bonded to work at the kiln and were not allowed to leave the place. We were not paid fully for our work, and the owner asked to bring ration for food from his own shop in the village. We were also not allowed to visit our homes back in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar."However, the kiln owner claimed that the families were not kept as bonded labourers and they have been given timely payments. The owner said, "We paid Rs 450 per 1000 bricks to the labourers."As per the information disclosed by the raiding team, “We have rescued 13 dalit families which were kept as bonded labourers at SBC brick kiln in village Gokalgarh. A total of 55 persons including 15 men, 15 women and 25 minor children have been rescued which were found living without any basic amenities and children without any access to education. A Saharanpur based contractor identified as Bablu resident village Bhaila Kalan district Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP) had trafficked these families here who had been working as bonded labourers since November, 2018.”Nirmal Gorana told TOI, “The district administration has recorded the statements of all the heads of the rescued families and now the administration would decide whether it is a case of bonded labour or not. As per our inspection, it is a case of bonded labour and it would be taken to Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh. It is a clear violation of Article 21 and 23 of the Constitution of India; Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976; Section 3(1) (VI) of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act; and Section 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) and 374 (unlawful compulsory labour) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). We request the administration to register an First Information Report (FIR) in this case and the labourers be given their earned wages.”"In India, if labourers are transported from one state to another, the state in which the migrants are shifted has to register the labourers under the Inter State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979. No implementation of this Act has been noticed in the state of Haryana leading to such bonded migrations of labourers", added Gorana.Barara SDM Girish Kumar said, “Our office would submit a report in this matter to the district administration. The naib-tehsildar and labour inspector have recorded the statements of the labourers and a report would be submitted as per facts for further action as per law.”

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