DC seeks flat owners' cooperation to eradicate child labour

Mangalore, July 26: In order to eradicate the menace of child-labour, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr N S Channappa Gowda directed the flat owners' associations to inform the district administration or the Assistant Commissioner of Department of Labour in case they come across instances where children below 14-years are employed as domestic help.

DC who is also the Chairman of District Labour Project Society, chairing a meeting in his office to review the implementation of action plan for the eradication of child labour on Tuesday, said that the practice of child labour is rampant especially in residential flats in the city, despite people know that employing children is a punishable offence. There are more than 170 important flats across the city and the decree applies to all of them, he said. The residents should inform if their neighbours employed children under the age of 14, he said.

30 cases in 4 years

The DC said as many as 16424 inspections were conducted from 2007-08 to 2010-11, according to an action plan for the eradication of child labour, in which officials of Labour Department and other departments found 30 child labourers in the district.

He said all the 30 child labourers have been rehabilitated. An amount of Rs 2,25,000, collected from the offender owners after the raids, has been deposited in the fund of child rehabilitation.

Venkatesh Shindihatti, Assistant Commissioner of Department of Labour, informed that three child labourers, whom they found at fishing port at Bunder, were admitted to schools.

He said the department had directed all government schools and aided schools to submit 'Declaration Certificates' signed by the parents of the children stating that they do not employ children in their houses or shops. However, he said, only 913 school and colleges submitted this certificate.

DC directed that all the schools should submit the declaration certificate with immediate effect.

Puttur Sub-Divisional officer Dr Harish Kumar, Labour Officer Nagesh and others were present.

No garbage in Plastic

The DC has also directed flat owners' association henceforth not to dispose garbage tied in plastic covers. “People should instead hand over the same to garbage pickup vans deployed by Mangalore City Corporation,” he said.