JOIN USAround ten children were rescued from cotton garment shops and hotels and five were rescued from dhabas (road side restaurant). Two factories and four hotels were sealed and four employers arrested under the Child Labour Act during this operation. Hotels include names like PVR restaurant in the PVR complex and Pammi restaurant, a famous restaurant which has three branches in Dilshad Garden’s main market.
“The seal will open once employers give a fine of Rs 20,000,” said Rakesh Senger, secretary of Bachpan Bachao Aandolan, a child rights NGO.
A rescue operation was carried out by the Delhi task force along with the Delhi police, labour department and BBA. The operation was headed by Kamal Gupta, Sub Divisional Magistrate Seemapuri and ACPs Ram Singh and Ved Prakash. “Children within the age group of 12-17 years were rescued and we have filed FIRs against the employers who have been arrested. We conduct raids with NGOs on a regular basis depending on the kind of information we get,” said S K Jain, Deputy Commissioner of police. Sanskar Ahsram, chairperson of the child welfare community in Dilshad Garden, ordered these children to be sent to Mukti Ahsram, the rehabilitation centre of BBA.
The rescue team said that they have recovered money for ten children from the employers. “A case under the Bonded Labour Act and Child Labour Act has been registered against the employers. We have already recovered around Rs two lakh from the employers and expect more amount recovery by tomorrow,” said Bhuvan Ribhu, lawyer and activist with BBA.
The children belonged to areas such as Koderma district of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Nepal, Rajasthan, Delhi and Bihar.
The operation was conducted on Tuesday in shoe factories near Rama Sweets in Samaypur Badli, where four factories were identified by BBA, employing more than 30 child labourers. But when the team reached the spot, they could rescue only five.