The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : NHRC failed to take action on bonded labour: Swami Agnivesh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

NHRC failed to take action on bonded labour: Swami Agnivesh

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 24. Swami Agnivesh, president of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front alleges that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has failed to take action on complaints of bonded labourers pending with it for long.

He was addressing a press conference, held here yesterday to release a report on a public hearing on the condition of bonded labourers in rice mills at Red Hills in Chennai, conducted along with the National Commission for Women (NCW) and the Women's Struggle Committee — a Chennai-based organisation.

Violation of Wages Act

Swami Agnivesh said there were complaints of violation of the Minimum Wages Act, which amounted to people working as bonded labourers, even in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

The complaints were made to the NHRC and the Delhi Government, but in vain.

The bonded labourers issue was referred to the NHRC, when Justice (retd) A.S. Anand was the Chief Justice of India.

Action not taken

Swami Agnivesh said he had met the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, thrice in connection with the violation of the Minimum Wages Act. She promised action but nothing was done, he alleged.

About the response to the NCW's recommendations to the Tamil Nadu Government on the bonded labourers in the rice mills at Red Hills, the Commission chairperson, Poornima Advani, said some smaller mills decided to waive their loans by closing down the units.

This rendered a large number of people unemployed. "Using suppressive tactics such as closing down the units will prevent women workers coming out against their employers," said Dr. Advani.

High Court moved

The Women's Struggle Committee has moved the Madras High Court against closure of these rice mills and will file a public interest litigation (PIL) petition in the Supreme Court as the condition of women working in brick kilns is no different.

The NCW has already asked the Tamil Nadu Government to identify and release the bonded labourers in rice mills throughout the State within two months.

The NCW has recommended that they be rehabilitated within three months.

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