Thuamul Rampur: Acting on reports of illegal transportation of migrant workers, a joint team of the Kalahandi district labour department, Regional Transport Office (RTO) and Thuamul Rampur police intercepted a bus headed to Keralam and imposed fines of about Rs 17,000 to Rs 20,000 for multiple violations.
The action followed reports published by OrissaPOST about buses allegedly transporting workers from the Thuamul Rampur area to other states.
The bus was intercepted near Kathakura Tuesday while it had arrived to pick up workers. Officials found that it lacked valid documents, including pollution clearance, Odisha permit, vehicle tax, insurance, driving license and other required papers.
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The RTO has so far issued challans amounting to about Rs 17,000 to Rs 20,000. The penalty could increase further, with the final amount to be determined by the RTO at the district headquarters.
Workers from Adiguna village and Rajesh Naik of Jhulkaguda, along with two other young workers, told officials that they were travelling to Keralam in search of employment as regular work was not available locally.
They said that even when they secured work under government schemes, they earned only Rs 150 to Rs 200 a week and often had to wait for months to receive payments. With few alternatives to support their families, they said they were looking for work outside the state.
“We could earn between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 a day in Kerala,” they said. They had paid Rs 3,000 as bus fare and were travelling on the bus, which reportedly leaves for Kerala every Tuesday, to work as migrant labourers.
The Labour Department counselled the workers and advised them to register their names with their panchayats and the department before travelling outside the state, in accordance with government rules, to ensure safer migration.
The administration warned that vehicles transporting workers should not operate without complete legal documents and valid permits. The bus has been seized and kept at the police station.
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