Bonded labour still practised in Haryana
By: NDTV Correspondent
Saturday, February 12 (Haryana):
Eleven quarry labourers who were recently kicked out of work by a quarry owner in Haryana have harrowing tales to tell. Some of these labourers were born at the quarry, they worked there all their lives and were never allowed to leave. This was their first time outside the quarry.
The stone quarry in Charkhi Dadri had been both home and work place for 17 year old Kheta Ram and two generations of his family. Kheta Ram is one of the ten labourers who were allegedly beaten and dumped in a forest by the owner of the stone quarry. Illiterate and penniless, the lives of these workers seem to have been a classic example of a vicious cycle of debt and violence. Mr. Babu Lal, a labourer said, "I have never taken a loan. They say my father had taken a loan and I should repay it by working. If we don't work, they beat us."
The labourers are currently being looked after by an anti-child labour organisation, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan which has approached the National Human Rights Commission and not the district authorities. Mr. Kailash Satyarthi from Bachpan Bachao Andolan said, "Our complaints have the opposite result. Officials warn the owners and then the workers are mistreated more. So now we want the NHRC to deal with this at their level."
The NHRC has sent a letter to the Haryana government to investigate the matter. A police case is, however, still to be registered.
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