The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Friday issued notice to the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the debt bondage of more than three lakh workers in the three states.
Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, the NHRC asked the chief secretaries of the states to submit a factual report within two weeks.
According to media reports, more than three lakh workers from the western districts of Odisha are working in brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. They are in debt bondage and will not be able to cast their votes in the Lok Sabha polls to be held in their home state from April 10 to 17.
"They would have to work at the brick kiln till mid-June because they had taken loans from labour agents with the promise of working from November to June," said the media reports.