Berhampur: The Ganjam administration rescued seven labourers, including a minor child, from a brick kiln at Manikapur on Thursday evening. After being rescued, the administration sent them back to their village in Bargarh district that night.
“Officers of the local tehsil office, labour office and police visited the brick kiln following a complaint received regarding the alleged harassment of labourers by the owner,” said Barsharani Jena, district labour officer (DLO), Chhatrapur.
The labourers were working in the kiln since Sept last year. The kiln owner, however, did not pay their wages to allow them to return to the village, the labourers alleged. “We have also collected Rs 60,500 from the kiln owner towards their payments,” she said. The DLO said they would initiate legal action against the owner as per govt provisions.
Sources said the kiln owner hired 12 labourers from a village in Bargarh to work in the kiln and paid them some advance money. The labourers asked him to pay their dues so they could return to their village to attend a marriage function, but the owner allegedly refused. Angry over his behaviour, five members of a family left the place and reported to some activists about the plight of others. The activists reported to the DLO about the alleged harassment of labourers and appealed to her to rescue them, sources said.