51 migrant laborers rescued from Odisha’s Bolangir

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bolangir, Nov 29:

In three different raids conducted by government officials last night, 51 migrant laborers were rescued from Odisha’s Bolangir.

Acting on a tip-off, District Labor Officer and Patnagarh town police conducted the first raid on Padmapur-Berhampur government bus near Bhalujori village under Patnagarh police limits and rescued 16 laborers. Similarly 22 men and women were rescued from another government bus from Rampur village under the same police limits and another 13 were rescued from a private bus.

The villagers have been sent to their respective villages.

“We intercepted three buses between Patnagarh and Bolangir and identified migrant laborers in them last night. There were both male and female laborers. We rescued them and brought them to the police station. Later they were dropped at their homes after necessary paperwork,” said Nirmal Kumar Mohapatra, In charge of Patnagarh police station.

“Acting on tip-off, we conducted the raids. As per rules, they need to register with the panchayat office. They had not done that. They were going to the brick kilns of south India in search of job,” said District Labor Officer Madan Mohan Paika.

While migrant and bonded labor phenomenon is nothing new for Western Odisha, extensive crop loss due to drought and lack of employment this year is likely to intensify the issue.