Is the State government prepared to offer a helping hand to migrant workers who could not travel to their home States in the Shramik special trains before June 24, the Karnataka High Court asked on Thursday.

“The State government must come clean before the court by stating whether it will help migrant workers who want to go back but could not do so till now, though registered on Seva Sindhu portal. Will they be treated on a par with those who have already left in Shramik special trains by June 24,” the court observed.

A special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice B.V. Nagarathna passed the order during the videoconference hearing of PIL petitions related to issues arisen from Convid-19 pandemic.

A special Division Bench issued the direction after the government said that 4,06.395 migrant workers left to their home States in 284 Shramik special trains operated till June 24, the deadline of 15 days fixed by the Supreme Court for transporting workers in different States. Two special trains will be operated to Manipur on June 25 and 26. However, the government did not answer the observations made by the High Court during a earlier hearing that the Supreme Court’s direction to transport migrants in 15 days (with June 24 as deadline) does not mean that arranging special trains should stop after 15 days.

The government directed the Centre to give details of requests made by State governments to the Indian Railways to arrange Shramik special trains between June 9 and 24 in terms of the apex court’s order. As All-India Central Council of Trade Unions contended that some workers went to mustering centres in Bengaluru on June 24 and were sent back stating that no special trains were available, the Bench asked the State government to respond on this..