Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 21: Officials of labour and education departments, acting on a complaint, rescued nine child labourers, who were found engaged in selling of balloons and other toys at the ongoing Lord Mahalingeshwara Temple car festival near Moodabettu in Katapady here on Friday March 20.

The children were then entrusted to the local unit of Child Welfare Committee.

The rescued children were found to be of Rajasthan origin. They were admitted to Vishwasada Mane later, and every Saturday starting next week they will be checked, said district child labour project director Prabhakar Achar.

Balloon sellers from Rajasthan and other places usually seen doing business during Shree Mahalingeshwara Temple car festival. That apart, some also engage in begging. Among them many are usually found to be children. The locals had complained about this to the labour department in Udupi, and acting on it, the officials raided several places in Padubidri including town, temple surroundings, Nandikoor and so on and rescued the children.

Initially, when the officials came to Padubidri downtown, some of the children ran away. Thereafter, when the officials went to inspect the area around the temple, they caught hold of six children.

The man who had brought the children to Udupi was also taken into custody, but when the officials were busy rescuing three more kids near Nandikoor, he managed to escape.

The children were bundled into a tempo and taken to Vishwasada Mane at Shankarapura.

In the said operation, which was conducted under the directions of the deputy commissioner of the district, labour officer, H P Jnanesh, project director of Udupi District Child Labour Project Society, Prabhakar Achar, S Maya, coordinator of block resource centre here, education coordinator in the block education office, Shankar, district children protection cell personnel, Yogish and Kiran Babu, as well as personnel of Padubidri police station participated.