Kamal Ghorui
CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: The Parbhani police on Friday rescued 41 migrant workers, including children, from an alleged bonded labour situation at a road construction project in Selu taluka, prompting an FIR against four contractors. The action followed a complaint by a social worker linked to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in Beed, who reported that workers from Telangana had been brought to Maharashtra with promises of higher wages but were allegedly forced to work for months with reduced payment. Acting on the alert, teams from DLSA, the revenue department and the police jointly visited a construction site in Nandgaon (farm area) under the Selu police jurisdiction. During the inspection, the team found 28 adult workers from various districts of Telangana living on-site with their families, including children aged 3-13. The workers told the team members that they had been lured with attractive wage offers, transported to Parbhani around four months ago and then allegedly compelled to work long hours while being underpaid. They also reported restrictions and pressure, leading the authorities to treat the situation as a suspected case of bonded labour. All the workers and their family members were shifted to the Charthana police station for documentation and further proceedings. The police subsequently filed a case against four individuals – an authorised representative of the construction firm and three labour contractors – under relevant legal provisions. Parbhani SP Ravindra Singh Pardeshi said swift action was taken after the complaint was received. “We are scrutinising wage records, working conditions and the contractors’ roles,” he said. Assistant SP Jiwan Beniwal said initial findings pointed to labour law violations. “The workers were allegedly brought from another state and subjected to exploitative conditions.”
