Special Correspondent
NewsBits.in
Bhopal: Campaigner against bonded labour, Swami Agnivesh on Friday came down heavily upon the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in MP, saying that the government’s posturing on liberating bonded labourers was a sham.
Agnivesh was addressing a joint press conference by Bandhuaa Mukti Morcha, National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour and ActionAid Network.
He said that despite the chief minister’s personal assurance regarding liberation of 450 bonded labourers from Guna district in January this year, no forward action has been taken by the government. This has made the lives of the labourers from critical and most of them are forced to run away from their villages.
He said that there are about two crores bonded labourers in MP, most of whom work as agriculture labourers and then on brick kilns, hotels, eateries, mines and so on.
Agnivesh said that when Bandhua Mukti Morcha and the National campaign took up the matter in January and staged a dharna at Neelam Park in Bhopal, the CM personally met the affected families and assured action including liberation and rehabilitation.
After a fortnight the CM’s OSD Komal Singh visited the village, but did not talk to most of affected people. The government has failed yet to open the report of this official.
Meanwhile the ‘owners’ of these bonded labourers are forcing them to change their statements and also seeking their loaned money (in lieu of which the families work as bonded labourers) back.
Agnivesh demanded police protection for the families and immediate action to liberate them according to legal provisions. He also said that if action is not taken, the matter would be taken to court.
