BALASORE: The alleged detention of at least eight labourers from Nilagiri area of Balasore district by a private firm owner in Chennai has once again exposed the untold miseries of migrant and bonded labourers outside the State.The incident came to the fore after two of the 10 labourers lured by a labour contractor managed to escape and reached home on Sunday. The labourers from Kathagochhi, Salabani and Hatiasila villages have allegedly been detained and forced to work without pay for the last six months.The eight labourers, who continue to languish in Chennai, are Madan Singh (17), Banthu Singh (40), Baidyanath Singh (17), Baidhar Singh (16), Chaitanya Singh (15), Prafulla Singh (20), Sania Singh (16) and Bharat Singh (19). According to the allegation, one person of Ranital area in Bhadrak district who works as a contractor in Chennai had engaged the labourers in a private firm with a promise of Rs 6,000 a month. Their plight worsened when they were forced to work for over 12 hours without any pay. The labourers who have escaped said the contractor had already taken money from the company and they were working there without any remuneration. “We were detained there for the last six months and not allowed to contact our family members. We were given food only once a day and treated to batons whenever anyone of us complained,” said Rama Singh, who managed to escape with another labourer Dukha Singh. Meanwhile, the family members of the detained labourers have appealed to the district administration to rescue them and get them their legitimate dues from the contractor. They also have demanded legal action against him.Local Sarpanch Sashikanta Singh said the families of the labourers were apprehensive about their condition in the Metro. The administration should initiate measures to rescue them.District Labour Officer (DLO) S K Choudhury said he would look into the matter and seek help of their Chennai counterparts and police to rescue the labourers. “We are verifying the charges and the whereabouts of the contractor,” he added.
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