14 kids rescued in drives this year

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 30

A meagre 14 child labourers have been rescued in the district in the Labour Department drives or action which has taken place this year. Six persons have also been challaned for employing child labourers during the recently held department drives. Primarily rescued from commercial establishments, the latest to be rescued were five children rescued during the department drives from April 25 to 28.

They were rescued from commercial establishments at Cool Road, Jalandhar railway station, Nakodar, Ladowali Road and Model House.

While the department said that none of these children were below the age of 14, therefore the department hasn’t lodged any FIR in any of the cases. All children were handed over to their parents.

Meanwhile, the department officials said that 12 child labourers were rescued during the drives conducted last year. Notably, 16 child labourers had also been rescued from some potato farms in Nakodar last year.

While the city has seen over 30 children being rescued during drives held in previous years, the number of rescue action and drives has seen a dip in the past few years, especially in the past two years. Meanwhile, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which for years kept demanding a spot in the district task force against child labour for many years, has also moved its primary operations from Jalandhar after the administration failed to include it on the panel as one of the NGOs.

Speaking on the reduced amount of child labour rescues, Assistant Labour Commissioner, Jalandhar, Sukhjinder Singh Sara, said, “The children have been rescued from various establishments across the district. There has been a dip in child labour with string9ency in action. However, still, we have rescued five children just recently and about nine children in action held as a response to drive previously during the year. All rescued children have been duly sent to their homes.”

Officials said teams which accompanied the Labour Department during the April drives included the CDPO, labour inspectors, an ASI, two constables and a doctors.

Dinesh Kumar, activist of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, said, “While a majority of the children rescued work below minimum wages, they fail to receive the rehabilitation amount due to them. Only in the case of 16 children rescued from a potato farm in Nakodar has due rehabilitation money of Rs 2 lakh been approved to children, an order regarding which was recently released. But a majority of the employers are still going unpunished and while Ludhiana raids saw 28 rescued during weekly drives, in Jalandhar just five rescues is a meagre number.”