Officers told to act tough against perpetrators of bonded labour system

NT Correspondent

Mysuru: Senior civil judge and member secretary of District Legal Services Authority( DLSA) BG Dinesh has cautioned that that judiciary will strictly enforce laws against bonded labour to curb the inhuman practice which is still practised in several sectors even after the enactment of various acts for its abolition. He was speaking at a one -day workshop organized for officers of various departments involved in elimination of the bonded labour system, by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department and the Zilla Panchayat on Thursday.

He said that even though the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976 has been in existence for many years, the practice continues to be reported in several districts. The state government has appointed 50 government officers as nodal officers along with non-government organizations to eradicate the practice, he said adding that the officers should work together to root it out completely. He wanted the officers to strictly implement measures to identify and rescue bonded labourers, set up proper vigilance committees, raise awareness at the local level and also ensure proper rehabilitation measures.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer S Ukeshkumar wanted the officials to work according to the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the eradication of bonded labour completely in the district. The ZP will supervise the drive against bonded labour along with Jeevika, a non-governmental organization of HD Kote, he said.