The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Labourers migrate to Nainital in web of problems

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Monday, Nov 12, 2007
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Labourers migrate to Nainital in web of problems

Staff Reporter

BERHAMPUR: Some 150 migrant labourers, ‘illegally’ transported to Nainital in Uttaranchal, have allegedly been undergoing physical and mental torture by their employers since last three months. They were sent there by unregistered labour contractors.

The plight of these labourers came to light when three of them managed to escape from their workplace to reach their home. Most of these labourers are from Bhanjanagar and Sorada blocks of Ganjam district. They were employed by the contractors of the Indian Railways at the Sleeper Industry in Nainital.

According to Manohar Patro of Gneja village near Sorada, who has managed to escape from the clutches of his employer in Nainital, they were lured by the promise of good wages and better working conditions.

CPI (M) takes up issue

Meanwhile, the Ganjam unit of the CPI (M) has taken up the matter with the government and the administration regarding well-being of these gullible labourers. State secretariat member Ali Kishore Patnaik said the party has taken up the matter with the Indian Railways as it is the principal employer of these labourers so that they could get the minimum benefits as per the labour laws from their employing contractors.

These labourers were promised daily wages of Rs. 100 along with free food and shelter in Nainital. They have to work for eight hours and were also entitled to Rs. 50 pocket money per week. But, as per the escaped labourers, they were not paid any wage since last three months and were made to work more than 12 hours a day without proper food. .

Following a written complaint by the escaped labourers, Bhanjanagar Sub-collector Purna Chandra Pathi ordered the district labour officer to make immediate investigation to protect the labourers and to take action against the unregistered labour contractors.

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