Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Bonded labourers seek freedom from clutches of sub-contractor

By S. Ramu

NALGONDA SEPT. 4. Being "imprisoned'' by a contractor's agent for the last six months, 38 tribals, including 10 children hailing from Khammam district, are crying for help in Nalgonda.

Incapacitated by the drought conditions, the tribals, all Koyas of Buggapadu in Sattupally mandal in Khammam district decided to migrate in search of work. Maresh alias Mestri of Gangaram village in the same mandal approached them on behalf of a contractor to engage them in labour work in Hyderabad, according to the tribals.

They were given Rs.25,000 as advance by Maresh before they set off on their journey in early April. As he promised them of paying daily wages (Rs.60 per man and Rs.50 per woman), the illiterate tribals, including 12 couples, thought they could return to Buggapadu with a heavy purse after two or three months of toil.

They, however, were confused when they landed in Gulbarga in Karnataka instead of Hyderabad. Maresh and his friends told them that they would be taken to Hyderabad after finishing some work (digging trenches) to lay cables there. "Adi mana baasa kaadu. Desam kani desam kabatti noru musukuni padi vunnam. Narakam chusinam (we could not open our mouths as it not our language and State. It was hell),'' said Mudivi Laxmamma, 60. She chose to migrate from the village because she wanted to earn money to take her ailing son to a doctor and to buy medicines.

``He took us to four places to dig trenches one after another. We used to live in makeshift tents made of plastic covers at the workplace. He stopped paying us fearing our escape and gave provisions worth Rs.200 per couple instead. We were made to dig the hard soil under the scorching sun,'' revealed Bullemma, a widow with three daughters and a son. They did not have any communication with their family members, thanks to their illiteracy.

Dharma Rao and Dasu, their co-workers, alleged that the musclemen beat them when they put up a protest against "the continuous exploitation.'' After the four-month ordeal, the tribals were brought to Yellareddigudem in Narketpally mandal three weeks ago. "Maresh's gang was planning to take us to arva desam (Tamil Nadu) for cable laying work in this week. Whenever I ask him to let me go to my village, he says that I owe him money. He is lying,'' said Kuram Raju (34).

On being contacted by the victims, the local member of MPTC, Kummari Shankar of the CPI (M) and the former member, Kalluri Yadagari, took up their cause and brought the victims to the RDO's office here on Thursday. "Maresh is a subcontractor and he made these tribals bonded labourers. He is exploiting them,'' complained Shankar.

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