CHENNAI: In a dramatic rescue operation, six bonded labourers and a three-year-old child were freed on Monday from a brick kiln in Sivanvoyal village, Tiruvallur district. The victims had endured nearly six months of grueling work—12 to 13 hours daily—without proper food, wages, or basic facilities like electricity and clean water.
The kiln had employed over 80 labourers, brought in from Balangir district in Odisha with a ₹35,000 advance each. Many had already left after repaying part of their debt, but six workers and one child remained trapped, unable to repay the full amount. They were rescued following a tip-off from Odisha officials, who were alerted by the family of a 58-year-old labourer who reached out to his son for help via a nearby shopkeeper.
The rescued families were found living in dilapidated huts, receiving just ₹500 a week per family. To control their movement, the kiln owner allegedly provided treatment through a quack and administered unidentified medicines, which have since been seized by authorities.
Tiruvallur RDO S. Ravichandran and district legal services authority secretary K. Nalini Devi led the rescue. The victims were issued release certificates and are being sent home. An FIR has been registered against the owner of Sai Bricks under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In response, the district collector has ordered inspections of over 250 brick kilns to root out labour abuse.