As many as 39 minor children being taken for labour on trains have been rescued in three joint operations at Ambala Cantonment railway station during a period of one week.
As per the information, the children were rescued from the Jan Nayak Express and Karmabhoomi Express in joint operations by the Zila Yuva Vikas Sangathan, RPF, and other departments concerned. The children were being taken for paddy transplantation and work in different factories.
According to the programme coordinator of the Sangathan, Ajay Tiwari, on June 12 the children were rescued from the Jan Nayak Express. They were being taken for labour work at various locations in Punjab. On receiving the information, a joint operation was launched and the children were rescued.
During the preliminary inquiry, the children said they were being taken to different locations in Punjab for labour work. Three children were being taken to work at a garment factory in Ludhiana with the promise of a monthly salary of Rs 13,000. They were already given an advance payment of Rs 10,000. Four other children were being taken to Samana, Punjab, for paddy transplantation work with an offer of Rs 600 per day. The remaining children were also being transported for employment at different locations.
Similarly, on June 15, seven more children were rescued from the Jan Nayak Express and were also being taken to Punjab. Of the seven, while two were being taken to a garment factory in Ludhiana and were offered Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per month, the other five were to work as daily wagers in Jalandhar and Pathankot.
Tiwari further said that following a tip-off received on June 18, another joint operation was launched and this time 20 children were rescued from the Karmabhoomi Express.
Of the 20, four were being sent to a factory in Bathinda, and the remaining 16 children were being taken to Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Pathankot to work as daily wagers.
After completing the DDR and medical formalities, all children were produced before the Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee, Ambala, and later sent to the Open Shelter Home, Ambala Cantonment, for care and protection. They are being handed over to their respective families.
President of the Zila Yuva Vikas Sangathan, Paramjit Singh Badola, stated that most of the rescued children belonged to various districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
