15 Days Enough Time For State Govts To Send Migrant Workers Home: Supreme Court

According to the submission made by the Centre in the top court, over 4,200 Shramik trains have been run till June 3 for transporting migrant workers to their native places.

The decision came while the bench was hearing a suo motu case on the plight of migrant workers. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: In view of the migrants taking a difficult journey back home amid the rise in Covid-19 cases, the Supreme Court on Friday said that 15 days should be enough time to send all migrant workers - stranded in different parts of the country due to the imposed nationwide lockdown - home. The apex court asked the Centre and state governments to facilitate the transport of all stranded migrants to their native places within 15 days. “We propose 15 days’ time so that states can be permitted to effectuate the completion of transport,” said the top court bench. A three-judge bench including Justices Ashok Bhushan, SK Kaul and MR Shah proposed the facilitation of transport to ensure migrants reach back home. The top court also asked all state governments to create employment opportunities for those migrants who already have or will reach home in the days to come. ALSO WATCH | 50 Varanasi Migrants Express Happiness As They Get Jobs According to the submission made by the Centre in the top court, over 4,200 Shramik trains have been run till June 3 for transporting migrant workers to their native places. “Indian Railways has operated 4,228 trains till June 3. Over 1 crore people were transported to native places,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court, according to the news agency PTI report. The decision came while the bench was hearing a suo motu case on the plight of migrant workers. Senior lawyer P Narasimha, representing Uttar Pradesh government, tells the court that the state is not charging the labourers at any point of time. He said, "Around 1664 shramik special trains were organised in an extraordinary measure and 21.69 lakhs people were brought back". Meanwhile, additional solicitor general Sanjay Jain, representing Delhi said, that around 2 lakh workers are still in Delhi. He says, "They are choosing not to go back. Less than 10,000 workers have expressed desire to go back to their native places".

The court says, "We propose 15 days time so that states can be permitted to effectuate the completion of transport". https://t.co/pYu6U85Z7Q

— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2020

The apex court has already directed last month that the migrant workers looking to go back to their home states will not be charged train or bus fares and those stranded across the country will be provided food free of cost by the authorities concerned.