UP, Bihar destinations for around 80 pc migrant workers, Centre informs SC

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the destinations for around 80 per cent of the migrant workers stranded across India following the COVID-19 lockdown, the Centre apprised the Supreme Court on Thursday even as the two states listed steps being taken to help these people. While Bihar informed the apex court that it is reimbursing fare to migrants who have paid for their tickets, the counsel appearing for Uttar Pradesh said the state has taken steps to encourage quarantine by paying them Rs 1,000 cash along with food and other facilities.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, told a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been the destinations for around 80 per cent of migrants. Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul and M R Shah, that during the quarantine, the Uttar Pradesh government pays for food, medicine, water and other facilities and after the period is over, migrants are shifted to their respective places through buses.

The counsel appearing for Uttar Pradesh told the bench that extraordinary efforts have been made by the state to deal with the situation. He said special trains have been operated to bring back the migrants and the state has set up a mechanism for every stage to deal with various issues involved. He said camps have been established for migrants and food is being provided to them there.

The counsel representing Bihar government told the apex court that the state has received around 10 lakh migrants who travelled by road, besides those who have come from trains. He said that quarantine centres with necessary facilities have been made at panchayat, block and village level and people, who come from same source area, are kept at the same centre.

Bihar's counsel also said that state is reimbursing for tickets and expenses paid by migrants. The bench observed that Bihar seems to be the only state which is working on reimbursing the migrants.

Similarly, the counsel appearing for Rajasthan told the bench that the state has made transit camps at borders and they have got around 7.5 lakh persons there. When the counsel for Maharashtra appeared in the matter, the bench asked him as to how many people are waiting to go home and whether they are being provided food or not.

As Maharashtra's counsel told the top court about the expenses being made by the state on the issue, the bench said that it is not interested in the expenses. One of the counsels told the bench that it is important for the states to file affidavits so that the work being done by them could be brought to the notice of the top court.

The bench said it would give time to the states to file their affidavits on the issue concerning migrants workers. After hearing the matter through video-conferencing for around two-and-a-half hours, the apex court directed that no fare for travel either by train or bus be charged from migrant workers, who are stranded across the country and want to return to their destinations, and said they be provided food and water.

The court, which passed interim directions, said all migrant workers stranded at various places shall be provided food by concerned states and Union Territories (UTs) 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. The bench also said that originating state shall provide meals and water at the station and during the journey, the Railways would provide the same to the migrant workers. It said that food and water be also provided to them for travel in buses.

Taking cognizance of the miseries of migrant workers, the apex court on May 26 had observed that there have been "inadequacies and certain lapses" by the Centre and the states, and said that they should be immediately provided transport, food and shelter free of cost..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)