Child labourers rescued from Delhi factory

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 19: Mr Patit Paban Das, the assistant labour commissioner in Malda, today handed over six rescued ‘bonded’ child labourers with the help of police today. Following the instruction of higher authorities in the state and Central government Mr Das went to New Delhi and brought six children from Mukti Ashram, a home of Bachpan Banchao, an NGO, and arrived here today. The children have been identified as Mohd Sanu (9), Islam (10), Noor Islam (10), Masum Ali (13) and Mannan (11). Five of them are residents of Harishchandapur police station area and one of them was the resident of North Dinajpur. According to Mr Das, the officials of the labour department, police and members of the NGO jointly raided a sole (for shoes) manufacturing unit at Dariaganj and rescued 60 such children who were below 14 years of age. Of them six were identified as the residents of Malda and North Dinajpur . The local sub divisional judicial magistrate identified them as ‘bonded’ child labourers and issued an order to rehabilitate them, said Mr Das. We can provide financial assistance of Rs 25,000; here Centre will share Rs 20,000, until they are 14 years old, if they go to school on a regular basis,” said Mr Das, Malda assistant labour commissioner. One of the child labourers, Masum Ali, used to get Rs 800 per month from the factory where he was working. The owner of the factory also used to provide food for them. According to Mr Das, most of these children do not have primary education and went to New Delhi with their father or relatives for their livelihood. “There was no problem to work there,” said 10-year-old Noor Islam. Noor spoke fluent Hindi while talking to reporters and the assistant labour commissioner at Malda district magistrate office today.