Barely three months after publishing an extensive report on rampant child labour in Nagpur, TOI found a contractor appointed by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) employing child labourers on Godhni road.
What is worse, the NMC is waiting for someone to lodge an official complaint before taking action against the offenders.
It has been nearly 25 years since the Government of India banned child labour but the scourge continues. Even in cities like Nagpur, this crime is rampant, that too right under the nose of government officials and often in government projects.
More than 30 chidlren, aged 8 to 12 years, were spotted digging trenches on Godhni road since past fortnight. They said they were employed by Seth and Sura Construction Company, a contractor appointed for laying pipelines for water supply under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Work on this road has been going on for nearly a month.
RM Munne, the supervisor at the site, denied the charge. He said, "We are aware that children below 18 years of age cannot be employed and we have not employed any children. These boys accompany their parents as they cannot stay alone at home and, in our absence, they lend their parents a helping hand."
Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal said that standing instructions had been issued to all contractors not to employ children. "That children should not be employed is indisputable. So far, no written complaint has been filed but if any such case is brought to our notice, they will surely be prosecuted," he said.
The Right to Education Act, passed by the Parliament last year, provides for free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 years of age. Officials at the state's labour department said they dealt with cases only involving children below 14 years of age. Those above 14 but less than 18 years are covered under the Juvenile Justice Act implemented by the police.
For most children, such work means help with household expenses. Impoverished parents do not think twice before enrolling their wards as even their meagre income is significant for the household. Most families employed by the contractors hail from villages in nearby states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where means of income are few and education facilities close to nil.
What is worse, the NMC is waiting for someone to lodge an official complaint before taking action against the offenders.
It has been nearly 25 years since the Government of India banned child labour but the scourge continues. Even in cities like Nagpur, this crime is rampant, that too right under the nose of government officials and often in government projects.
More than 30 chidlren, aged 8 to 12 years, were spotted digging trenches on Godhni road since past fortnight. They said they were employed by Seth and Sura Construction Company, a contractor appointed for laying pipelines for water supply under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Work on this road has been going on for nearly a month.
RM Munne, the supervisor at the site, denied the charge. He said, "We are aware that children below 18 years of age cannot be employed and we have not employed any children. These boys accompany their parents as they cannot stay alone at home and, in our absence, they lend their parents a helping hand."
Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal said that standing instructions had been issued to all contractors not to employ children. "That children should not be employed is indisputable. So far, no written complaint has been filed but if any such case is brought to our notice, they will surely be prosecuted," he said.
The Right to Education Act, passed by the Parliament last year, provides for free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 years of age. Officials at the state's labour department said they dealt with cases only involving children below 14 years of age. Those above 14 but less than 18 years are covered under the Juvenile Justice Act implemented by the police.
For most children, such work means help with household expenses. Impoverished parents do not think twice before enrolling their wards as even their meagre income is significant for the household. Most families employed by the contractors hail from villages in nearby states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where means of income are few and education facilities close to nil.
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