40 Bonded Labourers Rescued From Shrimp Units In Tangutur Mandal
The rescued labourers receive their pending wages as per the law and be provided with special transportation to return to their native places safely: The collector
NELLORE: Forty bonded labourers from Odisha and Chhattisgarh were rescued from two shrimp processing units in Tangutur mandal of Prakasam district. The victims were formally issued relief certificates by district collector A. Thameem Ansariya on Tuesday at her camp office in Ongole.
The collector also directed officials to ensure that the rescued labourers receive their pending wages as per the law and be provided with special transportation to return to their native places safely.
According to Ongole RDO, K. Lakshmi Prasanna, the rescued group included 17 persons from Odisha and 27 from Chhattisgarh, all of whom had been working under exploitative conditions in the shrimp units. The operation was carried out following a tip-off from the district collector of Bastar, Chhattisgarh, who reported that people from his district were trapped in bonded labour in Prakasam.
With the assistance of local NGOs, officials conducted the rescue on Monday. The victims revealed that they were lured into bonded labour by a middleman who made false promises. Once employed, they were denied proper food, shelter, and wages, forcing them into severe hardship. The RDO confirmed that minors were also among the rescued.
The administration has decided to take legal action against the shrimp units under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, and the Minimum Wages Act. A special bus was arranged to send the rescued workers back to their hometowns, accompanied by officials from Bastar district.
The relief certificate distribution event was attended by RDO K. Lakshmi Prasanna, ICDS PD Suvarna, assistant commissioner of labour (Kandukur Division) M. Koteshwara Rao, assistant labour officer Mary Sujatha, Tangutur tahsildar Aanjaneyulu, and DCPU officer Dinesh Kumar.
NGO representatives Sunil Kumar (SARDS) and Shyam (IJM) were also present, among others.
