Odisha boy rescued from Tamil Nadu yet to get wages for work

Koraput (Odisha), June 14: A 16-year-old boy of Koraput district, who was rescued from Tamil Nadu, is still waiting for wages to be transferred to his bank account.

A native of Khatiguda village in Koraput district, Sambaru Bhatra was working at a borewell digging unit there.

Sambaru was one among the five children rescued from Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu under Operation Muskan, launched by the state Crime Branch police to trace missing children, about 10 months ago. "Sambaru had earned Rs 25,000 during his stay at Thiruvallur.

The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Thiruvallur had asked its Khurda counterpart to open a bank account to which the money would be transferred.

Though the account was opened in August 2015, Sambura is yet to get his hard-earned money," Pratima Rath, a member of CWC (Koraput), said. She said they have sent several reminders to CWC, Khurda, but to no avail.

"We have again written to them to expedite the process," she said. Sambaru wants to start a business with the money. "I don't know when I will be able to do that.

I have appealed to the authorities concerned to take steps to ensure transfer of the money to my bank account at the earliest," he said. Sambaru is now working as a daily wage labourer in his village.

PTI