Chenchu couple rescued from bonded labour get interim compensation - Times of India

Hyderabad: A Chenchu couple confined as bonded labourers for the past three years in Achampet were on Friday paid Rs 30,000 as interim compensation by Nagarkurnool district authorities. The couple, Veeraiah and Jyothi, were forced to work on the land of one Chandya Naik Mudavath over a Rs 15,000 debt incurred by a relative.

The plight of the couple came to light in Nov 2024 after an NGO intervened and a case was registered with the revenue authorities, which is currently under probe. Though the couple were freed from bonded labour, the financial aid they were entitled to was pending.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, Telangana high court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe had directed the Telangana State Legal Services Authority to ensure the couple, originally hailing from Amrabad, received assistance.

Subsequently, on instructions from TSLSA chairman Justice Sujoy Paul, the principal district judge-cum-district legal services authority, Nagarkurnool, coordinated with the collector and labour department to award Rs 30,000 each as immediate relief under the Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers Act.

After the disposal of the case, they will be paid the full relief amount as per the Act.