Four child labourers were Friday rescued while they working at a road construction site of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), said an NGO that assisted the police in the rescue mission.

The children, all aged between nine and 14, were working at the road construction site of the civic agency in south Delhi's Kalkaji area for the past few weeks.

R.S. Chaurasia of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), the child rights NGO that assisted in the rescue mission, said: 'The children were working at the construction site for many weeks. The complaint was done twice before but the children had gone missing on both occasions. This was the third time that Bachpan Bachao Andolan lodged a complaint and informed the police.'

'Due to a prompt action by police personnel, the children were caught working on the road,' he added.

'It is distressing to see children working in the government's own construction project. We will ensure that the concerned employers are prosecuted at the earliest. The labour department, however, could not participate in the rescue operation because of lack of time,' Chaurasia said.

An MCD official said: 'The contractor who hired the labour force is at fault for employing the children. Once we get the report, we will take action.'