17 Child Labourers Rescued from Balangir Railway Station; Contractor Detained
Balangir: In a major crackdown on child labour, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 17 minors from Balangir Railway Station on Saturday.
The children, hailing from Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, were allegedly being trafficked for construction work outside Odisha.
Authorities revealed that the minors had been engaged for nearly 18 days on the Balangir–Khordha new railway line project near Purunakatak in Boudh district.
The contractor, identified as Ramesh Pandu of Chhattisgarh, was detained for questioning after attempting to shift the children to another site.
Officials from the Government Railway Police (GRP), Child Welfare Committee, and Child Protection Department joined the investigation.
The rescued children are being rehabilitated, and arrangements are underway to send them back to their home states.
A case has been registered against the contractor and associates, with investigators suspecting a larger trafficking racket exploiting minors across multiple states.
A case has been registered against the contractor and associates, with investigators suspecting a larger trafficking racket exploiting minors across multiple states.
