Darjeeling, Dec. 5: The Darjeeling district administration and police have started forming joint teams to conduct raids and rescue and rehabilitate child labourers.
The mission has been launched at a time a survey has revealed that 3,942 children are engaged in illegal jobs across the Darjeeling district. The government will also open 25 schools to impart education and training in technical skills to the children saved from bonded labour.
“The rescue teams will include officials from the labour department and police personnel. We will conduct raids across the district from this month. Those found guilty of hiring children will have to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 and can also be imprisoned for six months,” said assistant labour commissioner Neil Chhetri.
“The fine will be deposited with the district child rehabilitation-cum-welfare fund. Jobs in restaurants, hotels and tea shops fall under the hazardous occupation category.”
Chhetri was talking to journalists on the sidelines of the inauguration of a child labour school here today. Twenty-four more schools will be opened in the district to give education to the rescued children.
“The schools are being started as part of the National Child Labour Project launched by the Centre to eradicate child labour from the country in five years,” said Darjeeling district magistrate Saumitra Mohan.
The labour officer said the basic objective of the schools was to bring the child labourers to the mainstream of the society.
Source- The telegraph
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