Thursday, May 26 2005 16:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Taking serious view of a report that lakhs of children were employed in mines in Karnataka, NHRC has asked the State Government and Department of Women and Child Welfare at the Centre to look into the allegations and submit their comments within two weeks.

The report by an NGO HAQ-Centre for Children Rights published as a news story, claimed lakhs of children from the age of five were working in mines at Hospet, Sandur and Ikal belt of Karnataka in hazardous conditions in violation of child and labour laws.

The children were forced into mining activities where they broke stones, loading, transporting and processing iron ore with no safety equipment. They were not paid fixed wages and had no regular working hours, the report said.

Taking suo-motu cognisance of the news item, the National Human Rights Commission directed that its copies be sent to the chief secretary of Karnataka and secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development.

They were asked to look into the allegations and submit their comments within two weeks, an NHRC statement said today (May 26, 2005).