Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Misery goes on for India child workers
Dear fellow citizen,
Pl. go on and read the news below. Yes, it relates to Faridabad.It is a shocking piece of news from Faridabad.A child labourer being beaten by her Mistress.
What is indeed shocking is that such people are still free & they continue to treat
Small children badly.
Is the Government sleeping?
I think that they have a more active role to play here too.
Misery goes on for India child workers
by Lourdes for everyone
By Renu Agal
BBC News, Delhi
Shanta says she was beaten regularly by her employer
Shanta looks like any other six-year-old, except there is an open wound on her head, her hands are swollen, chapped and grey and she can barely walk.
She is the youngest of the three little girls aged six to 13 years who were rescued last month from Faridabad in the state of Haryana.
Badly beaten and bruised, the girls all worked as domestic helps just a few miles away from India's capital, Delhi.
In October, the government enacted a law banning children under 14 from working as domestic servants, at teashops, food stalls, restaurants, hotels or in the hospitality industry.
Beatings
What has baffled many is the reluctance of local police to prosecute the family that employed the children for violating the new legislation.
I was woken at four in the morning and then I had to wash the clothes, sweep and mop the floor
Shanta, former child labourer
The sentence for breaking the new child labour law carries a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to 20,000 rupees ($450).
Shanta says she had been working with the family for the past year after her brother left her there.
"I used to work in water the whole day. She [the employer] beat me up regularly with a stick for not finishing my work on time. I was woken at four in the morning and then I had to wash the clothes, sweep and mop the floor," she told the BBC.
According to Shanta, she was given rice only twice a day - served on the floor - and was made to sleep in the bathroom.
She said that she never complained about her plight as that would have meant more beatings.
The children's hands are cracked and scarred from hard work
Two other girls, Rita and Sunita, say they were also abused and locked up like Shanta.
They were rescued by a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) after a neighbour watched them being beaten up and informed the police.
The police filed a complaint against the employers but only under the less severe Juvenile Justice Act rather than the tougher new law.
"These girls were trafficked from West Bengal and then they were illegally confined as bonded labour, they were abused and made to work. Still their employers were not booked under the Child Labour Act," said Rishi Kant of the Shakti Vahini NGO which rescued the girls.
Worst fears
The employers have already been given bail.
Thousands of children work in roadside food stalls
Police say they could not have brought a prosecution against Shanta's employers under the Child Labour Act because the girls were being paid for their work.
"The Child Labour Act is applied only when children under 14 are not paid for their work and when they are trafficked, and since this did not happen, this law was not applied to them, says Faridabad police superintendent Mahinder Singh Sheoran.
Experts say the Child Labour Act does not make that distinction. They say that it bans all children under 14 working as domestic labour and in roadside eateries and hotels.
Haryana Labour Minister Birender Singh supports the district administration's stand but following pressure from the local media has now ordered that the employers be charged under the Child Labour Act.
Social activists were largely sceptical about the efficacy of the new law when it was brought into force in October. They say cases like Shanta's confirm their worst fears.
NGOs say that as children continue to work in inhuman conditions, many in the political and administrative establishment continue to remain indifferent to their plight.
Shanta, Rita and Sunita are not the girls' real names.
Pl. go on and read the news below. Yes, it relates to Faridabad.It is a shocking piece of news from Faridabad.A child labourer being beaten by her Mistress.
What is indeed shocking is that such people are still free & they continue to treat
Small children badly.
Is the Government sleeping?
I think that they have a more active role to play here too.
Misery goes on for India child workers
by Lourdes for everyone
By Renu Agal
BBC News, Delhi
Shanta says she was beaten regularly by her employer
Shanta looks like any other six-year-old, except there is an open wound on her head, her hands are swollen, chapped and grey and she can barely walk.
She is the youngest of the three little girls aged six to 13 years who were rescued last month from Faridabad in the state of Haryana.
Badly beaten and bruised, the girls all worked as domestic helps just a few miles away from India's capital, Delhi.
In October, the government enacted a law banning children under 14 from working as domestic servants, at teashops, food stalls, restaurants, hotels or in the hospitality industry.
Beatings
What has baffled many is the reluctance of local police to prosecute the family that employed the children for violating the new legislation.
I was woken at four in the morning and then I had to wash the clothes, sweep and mop the floor
Shanta, former child labourer
The sentence for breaking the new child labour law carries a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to 20,000 rupees ($450).
Shanta says she had been working with the family for the past year after her brother left her there.
"I used to work in water the whole day. She [the employer] beat me up regularly with a stick for not finishing my work on time. I was woken at four in the morning and then I had to wash the clothes, sweep and mop the floor," she told the BBC.
According to Shanta, she was given rice only twice a day - served on the floor - and was made to sleep in the bathroom.
She said that she never complained about her plight as that would have meant more beatings.
The children's hands are cracked and scarred from hard work
Two other girls, Rita and Sunita, say they were also abused and locked up like Shanta.
They were rescued by a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) after a neighbour watched them being beaten up and informed the police.
The police filed a complaint against the employers but only under the less severe Juvenile Justice Act rather than the tougher new law.
"These girls were trafficked from West Bengal and then they were illegally confined as bonded labour, they were abused and made to work. Still their employers were not booked under the Child Labour Act," said Rishi Kant of the Shakti Vahini NGO which rescued the girls.
Worst fears
The employers have already been given bail.
Thousands of children work in roadside food stalls
Police say they could not have brought a prosecution against Shanta's employers under the Child Labour Act because the girls were being paid for their work.
"The Child Labour Act is applied only when children under 14 are not paid for their work and when they are trafficked, and since this did not happen, this law was not applied to them, says Faridabad police superintendent Mahinder Singh Sheoran.
Experts say the Child Labour Act does not make that distinction. They say that it bans all children under 14 working as domestic labour and in roadside eateries and hotels.
Haryana Labour Minister Birender Singh supports the district administration's stand but following pressure from the local media has now ordered that the employers be charged under the Child Labour Act.
Social activists were largely sceptical about the efficacy of the new law when it was brought into force in October. They say cases like Shanta's confirm their worst fears.
NGOs say that as children continue to work in inhuman conditions, many in the political and administrative establishment continue to remain indifferent to their plight.
Shanta, Rita and Sunita are not the girls' real names.
Labels: Child Labour, Faridabad, Government, NGO, slums, society
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Housing projects worth Rs 68 crore for slum dwellers of Faridabad
Housing projects worth Rs 68 crore for slum dwellers
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service
Faridabad, November 28
The ambitious project of city development plan for Faridabad, launched under the Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM), has finally been set rolling.
The Union Ministry of Urban Development today approved the first phase of the project to improve the basic services for the urban poor.
Under this development plan, two housing projects worth Rs 68.58 crore were sanctioned for slum dwellers.
The Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) will undertake these projects. A sum of Rs 247 crore has been proposed to relocate the dwellers in slum clusters in a phased manner.
Project reports of various schemes, incorporated in the city development plan and costing Rs 2,679 crore, have been prepared and submitted for approval. The development plan includes repair and relaying of roads, sewerage system, drainage, water supply and solid waste management.
A meeting of the MCF authorities and the Ministry of Urban Development was held at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi, this morning, in which the detailed project report (DPR) of basic services for the urban poor was accepted for Faridabad.
Under the scheme, the MCF would develop multi-storeyed residential units for slum dwellers at two spots in which a total of 2248 flats would be built.
According to Commissioner, MCF, who led the delegation at the meeting, more than 2,000 families residing in slum clusters would be relocated in the scheme in the first phase. The new residential colonies would be developed at Dabua Colony and Bapu Nagar on MCF plots.
He said while each two-room set unit would cost Rs 1.51 lakh, every colony would have the facility of a car park, a shopping centre and a primary school.
He said the detailed project report (DPR) of the third such colony was being prepared and it would cost about Rs 50 crore.
There are a total of 67 slum clusters out of which at least 29 would be relocated. This include relocation of 29,708 jhuggis in the city, he added.
It may be recalled that Faridabad is one of those leading cities in the country, where the growth of slum cluster has been relatively high.
The population of the city is over 15 lakh at present.
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service
Faridabad, November 28
The ambitious project of city development plan for Faridabad, launched under the Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM), has finally been set rolling.
The Union Ministry of Urban Development today approved the first phase of the project to improve the basic services for the urban poor.
Under this development plan, two housing projects worth Rs 68.58 crore were sanctioned for slum dwellers.
The Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) will undertake these projects. A sum of Rs 247 crore has been proposed to relocate the dwellers in slum clusters in a phased manner.
Project reports of various schemes, incorporated in the city development plan and costing Rs 2,679 crore, have been prepared and submitted for approval. The development plan includes repair and relaying of roads, sewerage system, drainage, water supply and solid waste management.
A meeting of the MCF authorities and the Ministry of Urban Development was held at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi, this morning, in which the detailed project report (DPR) of basic services for the urban poor was accepted for Faridabad.
Under the scheme, the MCF would develop multi-storeyed residential units for slum dwellers at two spots in which a total of 2248 flats would be built.
According to Commissioner, MCF, who led the delegation at the meeting, more than 2,000 families residing in slum clusters would be relocated in the scheme in the first phase. The new residential colonies would be developed at Dabua Colony and Bapu Nagar on MCF plots.
He said while each two-room set unit would cost Rs 1.51 lakh, every colony would have the facility of a car park, a shopping centre and a primary school.
He said the detailed project report (DPR) of the third such colony was being prepared and it would cost about Rs 50 crore.
There are a total of 67 slum clusters out of which at least 29 would be relocated. This include relocation of 29,708 jhuggis in the city, he added.
It may be recalled that Faridabad is one of those leading cities in the country, where the growth of slum cluster has been relatively high.
The population of the city is over 15 lakh at present.
Labels: Faridabad, Municipal Coorporation, oads, Project, Real Estate, roads, slums, society
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Sector 24,Sector 25(Industrial Areas??)
Industry needs infrastructure support to survive and grow.If you happen to pass through the Road from Hardware Chowk that leads to the industrial Areas of Sector 24,you are going to experience a hell in real terms.I wrote in Hindustan Times, 12 years back that this road should be widened if not doubled, since thousands of vehicles(all types) ply on this road.Since the majority of well-planned slums(groomed-up in last 15 years) are on this part of the city, it worsens the situation further.A small bridge on an Old Drain(Nalla) gets damaged frequently due to overloads causing complete stoppage or disruption of traffic.
Since this area comes under the purview of Ballabhgarh administration, it is neglected by Faridabad administration.
Industralists Associations have been demanding infrastructural support (at least 2 roads) for a good time now but thats quite softly for well known reasons.
A huge lot of political stuff lives in this area,be it Congress/BJP leaders,Mayor,Ward members,CM has visited this area many times but none of them ha ever felt the need to develop this area.
We hope that someone awakes above his/her own interests and does something to save this part of Faridabad which includes,Sector 22,23,entry points of Sanjay Colony & Jawahar Colony,Sector 24,Sector 25,Sector 55,Village Mujesar.
Since this area comes under the purview of Ballabhgarh administration, it is neglected by Faridabad administration.
Industralists Associations have been demanding infrastructural support (at least 2 roads) for a good time now but thats quite softly for well known reasons.
A huge lot of political stuff lives in this area,be it Congress/BJP leaders,Mayor,Ward members,CM has visited this area many times but none of them ha ever felt the need to develop this area.
We hope that someone awakes above his/her own interests and does something to save this part of Faridabad which includes,Sector 22,23,entry points of Sanjay Colony & Jawahar Colony,Sector 24,Sector 25,Sector 55,Village Mujesar.
Labels: Faridabad, Industries, politics, roads, slums
