13 Jharkhand migrant workers held hostage in AP, being brought to state: Official

Ranchi, Sep 24 (PTI) The Jharkhand government with the help of Andhra Pradesh administration has managed to free 13 workers from Bokaro district of the state allegedly held hostage at Visakhapatnam, an official said on Wednesday.

Migrant Control Cell (Jharkhand Labour department) team leader Shikha Lakra told PTI that all the migrant workers have boarded the train from Visakhapatnam on Wednesday and will be reaching Ranchi on Thursday.

"We received a report on September 18 about 13 migrant workers from Sonpura panchayat of Bokaro district, employed at a private chemical factory in Visakhapatnam allegedly through a contractor allegedly being held hostage. The workers claimed they were engaged in putty-related works, and while working, they experienced health problems and demanded to return home, but the company management held them hostage, refusing them to leave," said Lakra.

"We got in touch with Labour department officials in Visakhapatnam and found during investigation that the workers had started work on September 6. The company manager, after pressure, assured us to resolve the issue. We also took help from the Superintendent of Police, Anakapalli and subsequently the labour officials and police officials visited the company and the workers were paid a total of Rs 1,03,037 due to them on Monday," claimed Lakra.

The contractor also agreed to drop all the workers at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station at the company's expense so that they could board the Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express and reach Bokaro, and additionally, the contractor paid each worker Rs 500 as train fare, Lakra added. PTI ANB RG