Dindigul: The dramatic escape of two girls from a mill in Vedasandur in Dindigul district on Sunday puts the spotlight once again on several adolescent girls from poor families being forced into employment in the confines of private spinning mills.
The latest episode also brought to light that nearly 180 spinning mills functioning in the district are now adopting new scheme to lure girls with a promise of higher education instead of the "Sumangali" scheme under which they were provided money for marriage after three years of hard work.
Dindigul Collector T N Hariharan told Deccan Chronicle that he has constituted a special committee comprising officials from inspector of factories, labour department, National Child Labour Project and members of NGOs to conduct inspections in all the spinning and textile mills in the district. "Further action will be taken after the commit submits its report," he said.
Unable to withstand the harassment in the mill, R Pavithra (17) of Chennai and S Ranjitha (18) of Kadambankudi village in Kumbakonam had risked their lives to escape from the mill by jumping from the 12-foot-high compound wall in the small hours of Sunday.
Pavithra, who fell flat on the ground, broke her left leg, while Ranjitha, who landed in a sewage ditch, escaped with injuries. They were admitted to hopsital.
