The Madras High Court bench here today directed Theni District Collector and the Labour Officer to inspect the work sites of NH 45 at Devadanapatti and NH 220 at Cumbum and find out if the 127 construction workers at the sites from Andhra Pradesh were being treated as bonded labourers and not given minimum wages and as overtime wages.
Treating a letter from the President of the National progressive Construction Workers Federation P Narayanaswamy as a writ petition, Justice K Sudhakar and Justice V M Velumani directed the officials to inspect and file a report on March 10, as it was a serious allegation.
The letter sought to direct the Union Secretaries of Labour, Highways, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and Chief Engineer of Highway Department to take action against the Manager of Transtroy India Ltd, Theni, the construction company, for "detaining" the workers and treating them as bonded labourers.
The company was charged that the workers were not given minium wages and overtime wages for two years and the workers should be released.
