Govt didn’t consider oppn steps on migrants’ issue: Congress’ Randeep Surjewala to Supreme Court

The top court had on Tuesday taken suo motu cognizance of the crisis two months after it started and pointed to inadequacies and lapses in measures taken by the Centre and state governments in addressing difficulties faced by migrant workers.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has told the Supreme Court the Centre has failed to formulate any joint committee with opposition parties for addressing the issue of stranded migrant labourers.

Randeep Surjewala said this in his intervention in the suo motu case in the Supreme Court on migrant labourers. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Randeep Surjewala said this in his intervention in the suo motu case in the Supreme Court on migrant labourers.

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The Congress spokesperson said the government has, therefore, been unable to consider the measures suggested by him and the opposition party or any member of Parliament not belonging to the ruling dispensation.

The top court had on Tuesday taken suo motu cognizance of the crisis two months after it started and pointed to inadequacies and lapses in measures taken by the Centre and state governments in addressing difficulties faced by migrant workers because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

A three-judge bench of the top court, headed by justice Ashok Bhushan, issued a notice to the Centre and state governments and ordered them to make immediate arrangements for the migrant workers’ transportation, food and shelter free of cost.

The case will be heard again on Thursday when the central government’s second senior-most law officer, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, will have to assist the court on the measures taken by the central government to alleviate the sufferings of the migrant workers.

The top court’s order came a week-and-a-half after another bench refused to intervene on a petition that wanted the government to identify stranded migrant workers, take care of their needs and provide free transport to them.

“How can we (migrants) stop them from walking,” one of the judges on this bench had said.

After the nationwide lockdown was enforced by India on March 25 to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease, migrant workers were left jobless and a way to return to their homes.

Some states started bringing back these migrant workers from other states using buses and on May 1 the government began special trains for them.