Bombay HC seeks state’s response on plea seeking temporary accommodation for essential workers from Palghar

The litigant filed a public interest litigation (PIL) to express his concerns about these workers, who, he argued, are potential carriers of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, to neighbouring Palghar residents.

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the Maharashtra government to respond to the plea of a resident of Palghar district, who has urged the authorities to either arrange temporary accommodation in Mumbai for frontline coronavirus disease (Covid-19) workers, who have been travelling from Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation limits daily, or stop them calling to work till the time the pandemic subsides, amid growing concerns over the spread of the viral outbreak.

The plea cited that many of these frontline workers have tested Covid-19 and also transmitted the infection to their family members, friends, and acquaintances. (HT photo)

The litigant filed a public interest litigation (PIL) to express his concerns about these workers, who, he argued, are potential carriers of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, to neighbouring Palghar residents.

The plea cited that many of these frontline workers have tested Covid-19 and also transmitted the infection to their family members, friends, and acquaintances. Palghar has recorded 170 Covid-19 positive cases, the PIL cited, and most have been attributed to these frontline workers.

A two-member division bench, comprising Chief Justice of Bombay HC Dipankar Datta and Justice AA Sayed, heard the PIL via video-conferencing on Tuesday, which was filed by a 29-year-old social activist Charan Bhatt, and urged the state government to address the litigant’s concerns.

Advocate Uday Warunjikar, who represented Bhatt, argued that these frontline workers were commuting to Mumbai from Vasai-Virar civic body limits by 129 state-run buses, as they have been exempted from the prevailing lockdown restrictions, which were enforced since March 25 to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.

He also cited that there has been a growing fear among Palghar residents, as 10 frontline workers have died due to Covid-19 so far.

Earlier, Bhatt had written a letter on May 2 to the authorities, drawing their attention to these concerns. He moved the Bombay HC after his plea fell on deaf ears.

The court has fixed the next date of hearing on Friday.