Copyright thehindu
Deputy Commissioner of Chamarajanagar Shilpa Nag has issued instructions to the officials to review the social and economic condition of liberated bonded labourers in the district and submit a report in the regard within a week. Taking up a discussion on the condition of 253 liberated bonded labourers in Chamarajanagar during a district-level SC and ST Awareness and Vigilance Committee meeting held on Friday (September 26, 2025), Ms Nag pointed out that a few bonded labourers, who had been freed in Chamarajanagar and Gundlupet taluks, had died while some others had still not been not been issued identity cards and release certificates. She directed the officials to identify land, mark it with boundaries and hand it over to the liberated bonded labourers. Recalling that the issue of handing over land was discussed during the last meeting and urgent action in the regard had also been emphasized. Warning the officials that any delay in providing justice to the liberated bonded labourers will not be tolerated, Ms Nag said that if land was not available with the Government, the required land should be purchased after the jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner fixes the price. Regretting the considerable delay in providing the necessary facilities to the freed bonded labourers, the Deputy Commissioner asked the officials to expedite the matter. Also, if the land sanctioned to these liberated bonded labourers is in possession of other persons, steps should be immediately taken to evict and clear the encroachment. She also directed the officials to issue the title deeds to the beneficiaries. She instructed the Assistant Commissioners, Tahsildars of Taluks and officials of Land Records Department to submit a status report on the condition of the liberated bonded labourers within a week while pointing out that all the processes should be completed before the next meeting of the Committee scheduled for October 13. The meeting also took up the issue of Sulwadi poisoning tragedy that took place in 2018, claiming several lives. Ms Nag said health camps for the survivors of the tragedy should be organized once every three months for systematic screening to track delayed complications so that care can taken to prevent any side-effects arising from the poisoning. Superintendent of Chamarajanagar district police B T Kavitha, who was also present at the meeting, emphasized the need for members of the District level SC and ST Awareness and Vigilance Committee to pay more attention on how many atrocity cases had been registered taluk-wise and at what stage their investigation was.
