7 days ago
40 people freed from bonded labour in Andhra Pradesh
ONGOLE: In a significant rescue operation, Prakasam district authorities, alongside police and NGO representatives, freed 40 individuals from bonded labour at two shrimp farms near Ananthavaram village of Tanguturu mandal.
The rescued group comprised 17 individuals from Odisha and 23 from Chhattisgarh, including 11 women and a minor.
The operation, conducted over the weekend, targeted Golden Aqua Farm and Ram Brothers Aqua Farm, with raids in Tanguturu, Pakaala, and Pasukuduru areas. Cases have been filed against the farm managements under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, and Minimum Wages Act.
Prakasam Collector Thameem Ansariya issued relief certificates to the labourers and ensured their safe return to their native states, coordinating with officials from Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The rescued workers were initially moved to a relief centre in Ongole after their statements were recorded at the Tanguturu PS.
The labourers, trafficked from vulnerable tribal and rural communities in Koraput and Malkangiri in Odisha, and Bastar, Dantewada, and Kanker in Chhattisgarh, were subjected to inhumane conditions. They were lured with a Rs 15,000 advance via UPI and promises of decent jobs, and faced exploitation upon arrival.
