Tiruvellur district collector DP Rajesh gives away bonded labourer certificates. Telegraph picture

Balangir, May 2: The Tamil Nadu government has rescued 495 migrant workers of Orissa from a brick kiln in Tiruvellur district of Tamil Nadu. It has also paid an immediate relief of Rs 1,000 to each of them after treating them as bonded labourers under the Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act, 1976.

Tiruvellur district collector D.P. Rajesh declared 371 workers as bonded labourers and issued certificate thereof. Rajesh has said that the loan, which the people have borrowed from the brick kiln owners, stands nullified and they are free from bondage. In the first phase, 169 rescued workers of the Korapur-Balangir-Kalhandi district reached Titilagarh on Sunday night. The rest, including 69 families from Balangir will reach tonight in two special coaches.

Sources said as many as 135 families, including 74 from Balangir district, 45 from Nuapada district, nine from Nabrangpur district, five from Rayagada district and one each from Kalahandi and Korapur districts, had gone to work in the SLG brick kiln at Bonthawakkam village. Trouble begun when untimely rain had hampered the brick-making work. As work had stopped, the kiln owner refused to provide the workers food.

Daya Herna (40) of Piplikata village at Sinapali block in Nuapada district who was rescued said that life was very difficult for them in the kiln for the past few days. “The kiln owner refused to give us food or money as work had stopped due to the untimely rain in Tamil Nadu. Whenever we asked for food, the kiln owner used to beat us by hired goons. The women and children also suffered the same. At last one of the workers had managed to report the plight to the local sarpanch who immediately drew attention of the Tiruvellur district collector. It is due to initiative of the local administration that we are rescued,” Daya said.

The International Justice Mission (IJM) and the Aide Et Action, Chennai, lent support to the district administration during the rescue operation.

After the state government had been intimated about rescue of the workers, a three-member team, headed by an additional labour commissioner, and two labour officers arrived in Chennai for repatriation of the labourers. Labour officer Maheswar Kar, who had accompanied the freed labourers, said the Tamil Nadu government arranged a special coach for the workers. “We arrived here in a special coach. The travel was smooth owing to the special arrangement. The rest workers will arrive here in two special coaches tonight,” Kar said.

Lochan Sahu, a teacher of kids of the migrant workers in Tamil Nadu, said it was rare gesture on part of the Tiruvellur district administration which had rescued the labourers. However, the activists working in the field of migration are not happy about attitude of the Orissa government towards the migrant workers.