CHENNAI: Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) and Tamil Nadu Child Rights Watch (TNCRW) organisations placed a set of demands before the State government after condemning the ammonia gas leak at a Tiruvallur seafood factory.
Calling it a "systemic failure of governance", they demanded stringent criminal action against those responsible. In a detailed press release, the organisations alleged that the incident exposed grave violations of labour laws, child protection mechanisms and occupational safety regulations.
The organisations called for an immediate registration of FIRs under all applicable laws, including the Child and Adolescent Labour Act, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and occupational safety laws.
Their other demands were prosecution of the factory management directors, labour contractors, traffickers and everyone involved in recruiting children and migrant workers into hazardous employment; need for a comprehensive 'Anti-Human Trafficking Unit' investigation into recruitment networks; a statewide rescue and rehabilitation drive for child labourers and bonded labourers; disciplinary action against negligent government officials; adequate compensation; livelihood assistance and educational support for affected families; stronger labour inspections and child protection audits; and the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Madras High Court or a retired High Court judge.
The organisations urged the government to investigate not only the ammonia leak but also the larger ecosystem of child labour, human trafficking and labour exploitation operating across hazardous industries in the state, stressing that children belong in schools and not hazardous factories.
The CACL and TNCRW accused the factory management of gross negligence, alleging that women workers were illegally housed inside the factory premises close to ammonia pipelines, previous gas leaks had been ignored, emergency alarm systems were reportedly non-functional, and adequate first-aid and emergency response facilities were absent.
They further alleged that forged Aadhaar cards were used to recruit minor girls into hazardous work and argued that the incident reflected a wider network involving human trafficking, bonded labour, labour contractors and organised exploitation of children from marginalised communities.
The fatal gas leak occurred on June 21 at St Peter and Paul Seafood Export Private Limited near Periyapalayam in Tiruvallur. According to the Health department, the death toll has risen to 18 migrant workers, including two Scheduled Tribe (ST) child labourers, after another injured woman worker succumbed to her injuries on July 3. The incident also left 83 workers, most of them women, seriously affected.
The victims were predominantly migrant workers from Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand and West Bengal, many belonging to ST communities.
They alleged that workers were subjected to exploitative conditions, including 12-hour work shifts without weekly holidays, a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 from which food expenses were deducted, Rs 1,000 wage cuts for taking a day's leave, and additional deductions for failing to wear masks. Such conditions, they said, point towards forced labour and bonded labour practices.