Karnataka High Court (File Photo| EPS)
Karnataka High Court (File Photo| EPS)

Evolve mechanism for migrants: Karnataka HC

Unless a machinery is created to inform registered migrants about special trains and report to a particular mustering centre, we wonder how the state can send back every worker,” the bench said.

BENGALURU: The state government has no rational system to identify migrant workers who want to return to their home states and must evolve a mechanism to specifically inform registered workers to reach mustering centres, the Karnataka High Court said on Thursday.

During the hearing of a PIL relating to Covid-19 issues, a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice B V Nagarathna said mustering centres had only been set up in 13 districts while workers were present in almost all districts. “In our earlier order, we asked the government to come out with a rational and transparent method to send back registered migrants.

Unless a machinery is created to inform registered migrants about special trains and report to a particular mustering centre, we wonder how the state can send back every worker,” the bench said. The state government had not placed anything on record to show that officials were deputed to carry out field checks and identify migrant workers registered on Seva Sindhu.

A recent state government order does not say how workers will be informed about reporting to mustering centres, although the Additional Advocate General said SMSs are being sent. The State government’s written submission does not say how it will send workers back to smaller states and UTs, the bench said.

Bench seeks clarity on ‘Cauvery Calling’

Bengaluru: The state government must explain how it allowed Isha Foundation to claim ‘Cauvery
Calling’ as its project after the forest department accepted the proposal from the foundation, a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice E S Indiresh said while hearing a PIL filed by advocate AV Amarnathan on Thursday. On the one hand, the government said the project of the foundation had been accepted and on the other, the government said is not ponsoring or financing the project, the  ench said. “These are completely contradictory statements,” the bench noted.

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