ABSSS

Entire locality is bonded in Murka Barrier Kolan village, but there are no bonded labours in government records

Banda, June 16. If one goes by the government records there are no bonded labours in Banda and newly created Shahuji Nagar districts. But the reality is something else. Generation of bonded labour is still sobbing here. No one knows how many people one can find living on 1.25 kg grains and 500 abuses. An entire locality of Murka Barrier Kolan village is bonded. Sobbing with the atrocities of the oppressors, the bonded either flees, or resigns to his fate.

Bonded labours are kept by the oppressors like prisoners and work is taken from them like slaves. Once the administration had put their number at 332 in its records. The then Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Arun Arya had himself caught one dozen bonded labour in Bambiha village. The gram pradhan was sent to jail in this connection and licence of his arm was cancelled. Later, the gram pradhan got all those labours file affidavits that they were not bonded. The ADM Arya lodged 79 FIRs for misappropriation of funds in the name of bonded labour, but no action was taken on that and the lobbying against Arya was so great that he was removed from there immediately.

After a long lull, another campaign was launched from February 97 till April 1997. At that time Shahuji Nagar was in Banda district. A total of 62 bonded labourers were identified. After this the then district magistrate got this campaign ended saying that there were no more bonded labourers.

The current bonded labourers have been found in the last village Murka Barrier Colony located on the eastern end of Shahuji Nagar. This is about 60 km from Shahuji Nagar. After this falls Allahabad district. The population of 28 Kol families is nearly 112. These people migrated to the present location from Murka village around 52 years ago. This entire locality is passing its days like bonded labourers.

These people gave applications to the labour enforcement office, but after the passage of five years nothing moved. Seventy bonded Kol and Dalit labourers inhibit Ghulzar Ka Purwa, Lamhi, Laxmipur, Nai Punia, Manka, Pandit Ka Purwa, Kalyiha, Vijaygarh, Dedia, Matiyar, Azad Ka Purwa, Turgawan, Guiyan Khurd villages, etc. Wives and children of all these are also bonded.

The state government framed a law in 1985 that no person from Harijan, forest dweller or weaker section would be removed from the place where he had constructed his home and he would be given ownership right of the place. But in Murka Barrier Colony, Kol forest dwellers are being evicted openly. Kol forest dwellers have given umpteen number of representations to the government, but they have not been heard.

Murka village falls in Bargarh area of Mau tehsil. In the name of homes there are one or two khaprails. The land given to some of the families is full of stones. They are not allowed to do any other work. Their condition is highly pitiable. The land on which they have constructed their homes is claimed by a Dadu as his own and forces them to work in his mine. Since they are bonded, they cannot go to work anywhere. When they refuse to work on the mine, the Dadu gets wired fencing in front of their homes so they cannot come out of their homes.

Vijay Bahadur (31) had taken a loan of Rs 1,000 from a Dadu of Kandhara village. He is working as bonded labour with him for the last nine years. This Dadu also has a 35 year Nanku son of Langara Kol. Nanku had taken a loan of Rs 300. Now instead of Rs 300 a demand is being raised of Rs 1,000. When he refuses to work, he is forcibly taken from his home.

Purushottam (30) son of Chandrabhan is bonded with a Dadu of Murka village for the last three generations. Since then the vicious cycle of 1.25 kg grains as wages is continuing. His grandfather had taken Rs 700 and six sacs of grains as loan, which was paid in installments several times. Now the Dadu is demanding Rs 4,000.

Eighteen year old Santlal son of Baiju is bonded with a Dadu for the last seven years. He was asked to plough fields when he was 10 years old. Since then he is getting 1.25 kg grains. The Dadu is demanding Rs 3,000 from him. In lieu of loan the Dadu had forcibly taken pumping set of his father 11 years ago. He does not know how much loan his father had taken from the Dadu.

For the last five years, Lallu son of Gapolo of Pateri village under Guia Khurd gram panchayat in Mau tehsil is a bonded labour at a mine owned by a Dadu of Koraon village of Allahabad district. He is 37 years old. He says that because of illness he had taken Rs 500 as loan, but now Rs 35,000 were being demanded. His wife Shila is also bonded.

Mannu, son of Tyohari Kol is residing in Mandi Colony for the last 25 years. He is bonded labour since childhood with a dominant Dadu. Now he is getting Rs 13 as labour. Dhanraj (18) son of Ekka Kol is grazing buffaloes of this Dadu since childhood. He gets Rs 10 a day as wages.

There are several bonded labourers at stone mine of Dudhvania Mara Chandra under Manikpur police station. Lotan, son of Ram Dayal (50) is bonded along with his adolescent girl, Raj Bahadur is bonded with along with his sister, and Chhedilal is bonded along with his sister. All these labourers work in stone mine of Dudvania. This mine is on a 10 year lease with a dominant person. Three years have passed. Here beldar gets Rs 20, men and women get Rs 15 and small children get Rs 10. On being injured they get nothing. When they are unable to work, they are severely beaten up. Recently, wife of Sukhraj Kol got her leg fractured when she was hit by a stone while working in the mine. No treatment was given to her.

Deenbandhu, son of Nihora (60) is a resident of Chauki Purwa. He is working as bonded labourer with a dominant Brahmin in Nagar village since childhood for 1.25 kg grains. Sarman, son of Deenbandhu of the same village was working with another dominant Brahmin of Nagar village for five years. When he refused to work further, Rs 3,000 are being demanded. He is not allowed to work anywhere as he has refused to pay the demanded sum.

The condition is so bad that not only wives of these bonded labourers have to work with the Dadus, but their adult and non-adult children are also not spared if the Dadu so needs.

The truth is that in the name of liberation of bonded labourers and their rehabilitation, too much noise was made, but no specific benefit accrued to anyone. In 1996-97, lakhs of rupees were doled out to this district in the name of rehabilitation of bonded labourers. But the money was misappropriated by the government employees, brokers and Dadus.

The Bonded Labour Act, 1976, has provision of both fine and imprisonment, but no specific action was taken against the people from whose possession bonded labourers were recovered in April 1997. Most of them were let off after giving a warning. Bonded labourers exist in Naraini, Kalinjar and Badausa areas of Banda district, but there is no one to listen to them.

Amar Ujala, Kanpur, June 17