Bonded labourer gets Irish salvation

Patna, Mar 30 (UNI) Bob Dylan had sung "Tell me how many years can a man turn his head pretending he just doesn't see?" In this case it took 27 years and a Dubliner to see through the living hell of a bonded labourer Jawahar Prasad.

Meet Peter Murtag, an Irishman, who, moved by the base condition of Prasad from an article he read on the net, has offered him financial assistance to break free from the shackles of 'sub-human' life.

Reports appeared in a section of the press about one Jawahar Prasad that he was forced to work as a bonded labourer on wage of mere one kilogram of rice per day for 27 years just to repay a loan of 40 kgs of rice at Pajpura Bakri village under Paliganj block in Patna district.

Moved by this tale of blatant exploitation Murtag offered financial breather for him.

District Magistrate of Patna B Rajendra said any person willing to give financial assistance to Mr Prasad was free to contact his office for smooth transfer of the donations to the victim.

While unfolding government endeavour to pull the bonded labour from the vicious circle of poverty, he, said that the district administration had decided to allot a 'dwelling unit' to him under Indira Awas Yojna besides a ''job card'' under national rural employment guarantee scheme which would ensure him employment with daily wage of Rs 77.

However, the government efforts till date was in paper.

''We have run a campaign against bonded labourers for years and there is a strong need to punish the perpetrators so that it acts as sure-shot deterrent,'' said Mr Rajendra.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had also expressed concern over the matter and directed the local administration to provide all possible help to the ill fated labourer, he added.

''We will take strict action against the guilty landlord and provide full rehabilitation to the labourers who are being grossly underpaid'' he said.

And all this after an Irishman had seen through the misery of slavery that lasted a lifetime. The offer of help is coming at last, hopefully.

UNI