Wanaparthy: Brick kiln owners in the Pebberu mandal of Wanaparthy district are bringing in workers from other states but are ignoring their basic needs. Families are coming from places like Odisha, Maharashtra, and Karnataka to work in the kilns for six to eight months. The owners are not providing clean living spaces or proper facilities for these workers.
The situation is especially bad for the children. Many of them, including those under six years old, are not going to school or Anganwadi centres. Instead, they stay with their parents at the work sites and miss out on education and proper nutrition. Some children are even made to work, which is against the law.
There are around 350 to 400 brick kilns in the district. Each kiln employs between 20 to 100 workers. According to rules, the owners must provide basic facilities, including education for the workers’ children. Teachers should be appointed to help the children learn the local language, and classrooms should be set up. However, during inspections, authorities found that the schools were not running, and the school boards were just for show.
The living conditions at the kilns are poor. Workers are staying in small bamboo huts instead of proper houses. There are no toilets or bathing areas, even though these are required by law. This has raised concerns about the health and hygiene of the workers and their families.
Legally, kiln owners are responsible for ensuring that children do not work and that they get an education. If they break these rules, action should be taken. However, officials from the labor department have not filed any cases so far. Even though revenue and police officers travel through the area every day, no proper action has been taken. Locals say that unless district and police officials step in, these problems will continue.
