The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has summoned the Krishna District Collector to be present in person before it on February 9 in a pending case related to bonded labour.
The Commission directed the Collector and District Magistrate to come along with details of bonded labourers identified in various quarry units in the Vijayawada Revenue Division. Since the summons has been issued to the office of the Collector, the incumbent Collector has to appear before the commission. The NHRC had summoned two Collectors in the same case earlier, it is learnt. Vijayawada Sub-Collector S. Nagalakshmi (under whose limits the bonded labour was identified) on Sunday said the Commission had served summons, and officials were looking into the matter.
A Visakhapatnam-based NGO had filed a petition with the NHRC in 2010, alleging that the practice of bonded labour was on in stone quarries in Krishna district.
Responding to the petition, Revenue officials conducted raids on some stone quarries which revealed 920 bonded labourers being employed there. Subsequently, the Social Welfare Department officials issued release certificates to 672 victims and the same was submitted to the NHRC. According to the report submitted by the team which conducted raids, 75 more bonded labourers were identified in Ibrahimpatnam, Kanchikacherla and G. Kondur mandals. But, release certificates in these cases could not be issued as “their whereabouts are not traced”. “The officers collected the details of bonded labour from different states. But, some of them are missing and their whereabouts are not known till date,” said an officer.
On September 1, 2014, the NHRC directed the officers to contact those who employed the labourers, collect their details and send a report by November 21, 2014. But, the officials could not furnish the detailed report in the stipulated time for want of information about the missing people. “Though the Commission directed the Collector to submit details of the missing labourers, there was no response. The Collector is directed to present before the Commission in person with available details on February 9,” the Commission said in its notice.
Collector asked to report along with details of bonded labourers identified in quarry units
