The Punjab NRI Commission on Thursday  issued notice to the Centre and the state government on a complaint field by expatriate Indian workers regarding non-payment of their salaries by a Nigeria based company for the last 11 months.

The notice was issued to Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and Government of Punjab.

The state Commission for NRIs was set up by the Punjab government with powers of a civil court to safeguard the interests of the community in the state.

The full bench of the Commission, comprising chairperson Justice Arvind Kumar (Retd), members VK Bhawra and Jagtar Singh issued notice.

In the complaint, Preeti Rajwanshi had alleged that her father Naveen Kumar Rajvanshi and 117 other persons had been working in Delta Steel Company located at Warry in Nigeria and had not been paid their salary for last about one year.

It was also alleged that they have been living in "pitiable and miserable" conditions and there was no provision for medical facilities for them.

Now, it was not possible for them to return to India as they had not got their payments, she alleged.

She also accused the company management of keeping employees as "bonded labour", said a release.

Rajwanshi further alleged that various representations already made to the Centre and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in this regard had not yielded any result.

After having given thoughtful consideration to the allegations, the Commission prima-facie finds that apart from the disputes of employees with the company, there was an "utter violation" of legal as also human rights of the employees, the release said quoting the Commission.

The allegations contained in the complaint are serious ones, thereby jeopardising the "Right to Life" enshrined by Article 21 of the Constitution of India, to its citizens, therefore this Commission takes cognisance of the matter and a notice had also been issued to Delta Steel, said the release.