Effective concentrated efforts are required to redeem the situation, Supreme Court said (File)
The Supreme Court, taking note of "problems and miseries" of migrant labourers stranded by the coronavirus lockdown across the country, asked the centre and states to list steps taken by them and said it would hear the case on Thursday.
The Supreme Court issued notice to the centre, states and Union Territories and asked them to report to it on "steps taken to redeem the miseries" of migrant labourers.
"We take suo motu cognizance of problems and miseries of migrant labourers who had been stranded in different parts of the country," the court said today.
"The newspaper reports and the media reports have been continuously showing the unfortunate and miserable conditions of migrant labourers walking on-foot and cycles from long distances. They have also been complaining of not being provided food and water by the administration at places where they were stranded or in the way i.e. highways from which they proceeded on-foot, cycles or other modes of transport. In the present situation of lockdown in the entire country, this section of the society needs succor and help by the concerned governments, especially steps need to be taken by the government of India, state governments/Union Territories in this difficult situation to extend a helping hand to these migrant labourers."
The Supreme Court issued notice to the centre and states and asked for their response by Thursday.
"Although the Government of India and the State Governments have taken measures yet there have been inadequacies and certain lapses. We are of the view that effective concentrated efforts are required to redeem the situation," it said.
In a hearing on May 15, the top court had dismissed a petition that asked that the centre be ordered to provide food and water to migrants on the move. "It is impossible for this court to monitor who is walking and not walking," the judges had said, in comments that became controversial and were contrasted with many High Courts calling it a human tragedy.
"Let the state decide. Why should the court hear or decide," the judges had said, when petitioner Alakh Alok Srivastava urged the court to ask the centre to identify migrants walking on roads and provide them food and shelter.
When the lawyer referred to 16 migrants being run over on railway tracks in Maharashtra, the court had said: "How can anyone stop this when they sleep on railway tracks?"
The court berated the advocate, saying his petition was "totally based" on newspaper clippings.
