THREE CHILD LABOURERS RESCUED FROM A HOTEL

THREE CHILD LABOURERS RESCUED FROM A HOTEL

12-JULY-ENG 3

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

BHABHUA-----------------------On Saturday, a district raid team—constituted under 'Operation Naya Savera 3.0' and operating under the aegis of the Kaimur Labour Resources Department—conducted an intensive raid campaign against child labor in the local block. The operation was jointly led by Labour Enforcement Officer Ajitesh Kumar Tiwari and Durgawati Station House Officer (SHO) Girish Kumar. This action was carried out under the direction of Labour Superintendent Rajiv Ranjan Nikhar.

During the raid, various shops and establishments in the Durgawati block were inspected. In the process, three child laborers were found working at 'Chetak Hotel' in Karnpura, located on the north side of NH-2. The raid team immediately rescued all three children. The rescued child laborers are reported to be residents of the Chatra district in Jharkhand.

After being rescued, the child laborers were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) located at Dadar. Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against the hotel operator under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. The Labour Department stated that under the Act, employing children under the age of 14 for any kind of work and engaging adolescents aged 14 to 18 in hazardous work constitute cognizable offenses. These offenses are punishable by imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of up to ₹50,000. Additionally, in accordance with the Supreme Court's order in the *M.C. Mehta vs. State of Tamil Nadu* case, an extra fine of ₹20,000 may be imposed for each rescued child labourer. The state government provides immediate financial assistance of ₹3,000 to each rescued child labourer.