SILCHAR, Oct 29 - As many as 11 under-aged children engaged in different stalls and food outlets were rescued by the Cachar district administration recently.
According to a release issued to the media on Saturday, officials from the district administration informed that the children were recovered from different dhabas, restaurants and shops by the District Task Force which has been created to maintain strict vigil on the engagement of children in the commercial avenues.
�Raids were conducted on Thursday and Friday in areas including Ghungoor, Meherpur, Beltola, Tapoban Nagar etc from where we could rescue the children employed in the shops and roadside dhabas. FIRs have been lodged in the respective police stations,� an official informed through the release.
Further, the release informed that Childline Silchar later took the rescued children to the designated Children Home for temporary shelter from where they will be produced before CWC, which in consultation with Labour Welfare Department will provide necessary counselling and further investigation.
According to sources at the district administration, under the existing provisions of Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act 1986, if the employers are convicted, they will have to serve a jail term of not less than six months which may extend up to 2 years or will be fined not less than Rs 20,000 which may extend to Rs 50,000 or both fine and imprisonment, the release stated.
Meanwhile, talking to The Assam Tribune, Cachar Deputy Commissioner Laya Madduri said, �we have been creating awareness on the Child Labour Act and requesting people for compliance. The helpline 1098 can be used to convey information to the Task Force regarding any instance of violation of the Act and the breach would be taken as a criminal and cognisable offence. All of must work in cohesion for the cause.�
