Nagpur: A joint team of the Women and Child Development Department, Labour Department, Education Department and Police rescued 18 child labourers from logistics company in the Wadi area on Wednesday. Sources stated some rescued minors were from Chhattisgarh too. The raid was conducted following strict directives issued by the district collector during a high-level meeting to intensify the special campaign against child labour. “Around 40 minors were spotted but many fled. The minors work for around 10-12 hours against meagre salary,” said an official who was part of the raiding team.The rehabilitation process was set in motion, said an official adding that all 18 rescued children underwent medical examination. The rescued minors were temporarily housed in a children’s home for their protection. Preliminary investigation revealed that the rescued minors were brought from various places and were being forced to load and unload goods on trucks.The children will now receive proper care, education and support to help them reintegrate into mainstream society, officials claimed.The administration has announced that strict legal action will be taken against the establishment under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and its amendment of 2016. Officials stated that such operations will continue unabated to make Nagpur and the district completely child labour-free.The operation was carried out under the guidance of District Women and Child Development Officer Sunil Mesre and assistant labour commissioner Rajdeep Dhurve.Key officials who participated in the raid included district child protection officer Mustak Pathan, Education Department’s Prasenjit Gaikwad, Labour Department’s Gayatri Dube and Avinash Doke and cops from the Wadi police station.
