JOIN USSC says states must transport stranded migrants in 15 days, favours providing job opportunities for returnees
The Supreme Court on Friday said that all the states must complete transportation of stranded migrant workers within a period 15 days. It also favoured for providing job opportunities to the returned workers at their home states.
Taking up a Suo Motu matter on plight of migrant workers, a bench presided over by Justice Ashok Bhushan said transportation of workers could not go on indefinitely.
Besides, the court said the states must have a system to understand how many workers have come back from other states. There must be a scheme for their re-employment.
The bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah, said the court would pass orders on Tuesday for foolproof registration of all migrant workers and future job arrangements.
After registering the Suo Motu case, belatedly, on problems and miseries faced by the migrant workers, the court had on May 28 directed for free transportation and availability of food to the workers.
During the hearing on Friday, the Centre, for its part, said 4,270 Shramik Special Trains were deployed and about one crore workers sent back to native places. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta denied that any worker died due to lack of water and food or treatment during the transportation through trains. He said all the deaths that took place happened due to pre-existing disease, heart attack etc. Mehta said the Railways was in touch with the states and running trains as per their demand.
Several states like Gujarat and Maharashtra said as many as 20.5 lakh and 11 lakh migrant workers were transported back. Bihar claimed 28 lakh people returned to the state and skill mapping has been done of 10 lakh workers. West Bengal said there were still 3,97,389 stranded migrants in the state.
Kerala said out of 4.34 lakh migrants, over one lakh were transported back. However, of the remaining, 1.61 lakh wanted to stay back.
Karnataka, for its part, said since May 3, it has facilitated transportation of over three lakh migrant workers. There were still lakhs of migrants in the state. It sought 15 days more time for the purpose. It also said the number of migrants wanting to go back home has been reduced as only 100 turned up on Thursday and 78 were sent back.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, A M Singhvi, Indira Jaising, Colin Gonsalves and Jaideep Gupta, appearing for different intervenors, pointed out various problems being faced by migrant workers in registration and quarantine facilities and availability of ration for them.