The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Kalahandi, Koraput and Nuapada District Magistrates to rehabilitate as many as 27 released bonded labourers from Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
It has also directed the Nainital DM to issue release certificate in favour of the remaining eleven bonded labourers and submit a report.
The Uttarkhand labour Commissioner was also directed to report on whether any claim case was filed under Section 20 of Minimum Wages Act and whether the Interstate Migrant Workers was paid the wages and allowances, as per the provisions of Section 14 & 15 of Interstate Migrant Workers Act, 1979.
The prolong crusade of Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy who moved the NHRC on April 30, 2010 for releasing these poor migrant bonded labourers from the poverty stricken districts of the country finally fetched the result.
The replies from the Uttarakhand labour Commissioner and Nainital DM were tactful on which Tripathy pressed the NHRC for independent investigation. It sent its own investigation team on September 11 last year to expose the truth.
The contractor Santosh Kumar Sahu had been prosecuted for not obtaining licence under ISMW Act, 1979. The workers in question had worked in the establishment of CCI Private limited (now named as Vishal Nirmiti Pvt. ltd), during the year 2009 or prior to that and they fled away from the establishment allegedly after torture. The report submitted by Uttarakhand labour Commissioner was silent on the issue.
There were three labour contractors but the records submitted by the labour Commissioner, pertained to only one. The commission therefore, was of the view that this report was an eyewash and no fruitful efforts was made by the Enquiry Officer to get deep into the matter and find out whether the labourers in question were bonded labourers.
The Nainital District Magistrate also sent an officer subordinate to him to Nuapada district for interrogating the labourers in question. Ultimately truth prevailed with a ray of hope for the rehabilitation of the released bonded labouerers of Odisha from Uttarakhand.