NEW DELHI: Taking note of the plight of migrant workers across the country, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered states to provide free food and shelter to lakhs of workers who have been left stranded by the COVID-19 lockdown.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan also ordered that no train or bus fare shall be charged from migrant workers and the rail fare will have to be shared by states.
"All migrant workers who are stranded at various places shall be provided food by the concerned state and union territories at places which shall be publicised and notified to them for the period they are waiting for their turn to board a train or a bus," said the bench.
The order also stated that the originating state shall provide meal and water at the station and during the journey, the railways must provide meal and water to migrant workers. It stressed on the need for coordinated efforts to deal with the crisis.
"There are different mechanisms for different states. How do you ensure that nobody asks the migrant to pay or troubles him? What we are saying is that the migrants should be least concerned with the means of payment," the bench said, while adding that the state shall oversee the registration of migrant workers and ensure that after registration, they are made to board the train or bus at an early date.
"We further direct that those migrant workers found walking on the roads, immediately be taken to shelters. Food and all facilities should be provided to them. As and when the state governments put in a request for trains, railways has to provide them," the bench further ordered.
"All necessary details regarding number of migrants, plan for transportation mechanism of registration and other details should be brought on record in the reply by June 5," the bench said.
The order was passed after hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, Colin Gonsalves, Indira Jaising, PS Narsimha and other advocates representing various states.
The hearing saw some tough questions from the bench to the Solicitor General on food, shelter, transportation and as to who would foot the bill.
Mehta termed the situation as an unprecedented crisis and told the bench that around 91 lakh migrant workers had been transported to their native states since special trains started on May 1 till May 27.
"We are immensely grateful to the Supreme Court for taking cognisance of the issue. Due to this, states and Centre have an August forum now to discuss the migrant crisis issue. Some unfortunate things have happened and it is being flashed again and again," Mehta told the bench, while referring to the recent deaths of workers while travelling.
As this bench said, "We are not disputing the fact that Centre has not taken steps. But whoever needs help is not getting that help. States are not doing their bit."
However, Sibal, Jaising and Gonsalves contradicted him saying the way migrant workers were being sent back to their native states it would take several months to complete the process.
Mehta assured the Bench that the government will not stop its efforts until every willing migrant labourer is sent to his village.
He also criticized some of the intervenors in the case and said, “We have something called prophets of doom who only spread negativity. All these people writing on social media, giving interviews cannot even acknowledge what is being done.”
Mehta said, "People are working tirelessly. From the safai karamcharis to the PM. State governments and ministers are working overnight. None of these people acknowledge that."