17 minor labourers escape from Seabird project area |
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KARWAR: In an incident that exposes chinks in the security of high-security zone of Kadamba naval base of Seabird project here, 17 labourers from Jharkhand escaped from the project site on Sunday evening. The shocker part is that their escape had gone unnoticed by the security personnel, till they were informed that is.
The escape of labourers - 11 girls and six boys, all natives of Chakadharpur in Jharkhand - has strengthened the claims that workers from north India were being treated as bonded labourers.
Ravi Naik, a local civil contractor, was the last to spot the women sitting near Chendia post. When he asked them as to why they were sitting there, the women said they were "allegedly" cheated by some labour contractors and that they had to work without salary and proper food.
According to them, Savitri, one of the labourers, had introduced them to one Nagaraj of Viajawada in Andhra Pradesh. They worked in Andra for sometime before being brought to Karwar by one Ravi, who hails from West Bengal.
The women said they worked in Vijayawada for six months without salary, but were given food twice a day. Similar treatment continued even in Seabird. The contractors had also reportedly threatened the labourers against going out of the project site. All these factors prompted them to escape from the hill side on Sunday.
After Ravi Naik brought their plight to the notice of social activist Madhav Naik, they were given food and ticket charges to return to their state.
"The entire episode has brought to light the security lapse in Seabird. It is intriguing how these workers could enter the secure zone without identity cards, and worked there for over a month. Which contractor has brought them here and how he managed to get their entry into the high-security zone?" he asked, demanding an inquiry into the incident.
When TOI tried to get response from Seabird officials here, they said their higher-ups in Mumbai can only speak on the issue.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/17-minor-labourers-escape-from-Seabird-project-area/articleshow/5528815.cms