Karimnagar: Migrant labour exploited

Supervisors offer Rs 250 per week to a migrant labourer and his wife

Update: 2015-12-05 07:02 GMT
File photo of migrant labourers engaged in work at a brick kiln near Peddapalli town.
KarimnagarThe owners of brick kilns continue to exploit migrant labourers to the hilt following apathy of labour department officials and openly flout labour laws.

They assault the labourers and also engage children of migrants in different tasks around the kilns.
 
Authorities of this department intensify inspections only when a tragic incident is reported when media glare is on this sector. 
Around 200 registered kilns are being operated in district, as per information provided by the labour department. But, there are over 100 unregistered kilns across the district.
 
Usually, brick industry registers brisk business during winter and summer season. So, owners of brick kilns rely on migrant labourers from Madhya Pradesh, Chhat-tisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha as they can be hired by paying meagre wages. They deploy supervisors, locally called munsi, for engaging the workers of these states in various jobs at the kilns by paying bulk amounts. Apparently, owners of these kilns do not follow provisions of the Building and Other Constructions Act, 1996 and the Inter-state Migrant Workmen (regulation of employment and Conditions of service) Act, 1979. It is learnt that they offer monthly mamools to officials of the labour, revenue and police department for extending support in running the kilns.
 
For instance, the management does not offer minimum wages to the migrant workers. “Supervisors promise a couple Rs 15,000 for a period of eight months when hiring.
 
They dupe the workers after bringing them. Labourers work for over eight hours per day, from 4 am to 11 pm with few breaks,” said Madana Kumaraswamy, general secretary of Civil Liberties.
 
Four held in brick klin case
An owner of a brick kiln and his three supervisors were arrested for allegedly beating a pregnant woman to death in Hanumanthinipeta village, on the outskirts of Peddapalli town on Friday. Surjo Zara, 32, died of internal injuries caused following alleged assault by three supervisors of Sri Venkateshwara Brick Kiln.
 
The arrested included Babburi Shyam Kumar, owner of the kiln, a native of Peddapalli town and supervisors — Udab Maaji, Anthuram Sunani, Dhananjay Jagath. 
 
All of the supervisors belong to Seenapalli in Napad district of Odisha. Peddapall S-I A. Jaganmohan said that the four were booked under Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code.

 

 

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