26 migrant labourers rescued in Odisha’s Bolangir district

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Patnagarh, Dec 27:

]Local police and district administration officials rescued 26 migrant labourers from Lunahandi village under Belpara block in Odisha’s Balangir district early this morning.

Police has arrested the labour sardar (middleman) and seized a pick up van used for transporting these men, police said.

The rescued migrant labourers hailing from Dumer village under Patnagarh police limits in Balangir district include men, women and children.

According to the police, they were being taken to outside state to work in brick kilns.

“We have no work here and were going to earn our bread working as labourers in brick kilns outside the state. The sardar had promised us good earnings. What can we do as there is no work here? We have to feed ourselves as well as our families,” said a labourer who has been rescued.

“There is no work here in Odisha. The sardar promised to give us work and good earnings outside the state. So, we were accompanying him to outside state,” said another labourer who too was rescued today.

“These days, middlemen are adopting new strategies. They are using government buses as no one would suspect. We have rescued 26 people early this morning and have arrested the sardar and seized the pick up van used by them for carrying these people. We are making arrangements to shift these people to their villages,” said a police officer who was a part of the rescue team.

It may be noted that district administration officials had rescued 307 migrant labourers from a garden in Kudebhatta village under the same Belapada block three days back. Those rescued then included 103 men, 118 women and 86 children.