HC junks PILs on temporary accommodation for Mumbai’s essential service staffers

The petitioners had expressed fear that the daily commute could risk the lives of the residents of Vasai-Virar and Panvel municipal corporation areas because the essential-service providers are suspected to be the prime carriers of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.

The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday upheld that humane approach is the need of the hour, while rejecting two public interest litigations (PILs), which had sought a direction to the authorities to provide temporary accommodation in Mumbai to the essential-service providers, who are battling the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, instead of travelling to their homes daily in far-off suburbs such as Vasai-Virar and Panvel.

A laborer carries cement inside a makeshift quarantine facility for patients diagnosed with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai. (AP)

The petitioners had expressed fear that the daily commute could risk the lives of the residents of Vasai-Virar and Panvel municipal corporation areas because the essential-service providers are suspected to be the prime carriers of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.

Virar resident Charan Bhatt and the member of the legislative assembly (MLA) from Panvel, Prashant Thakur, had filed the pleas in the court.

A two-member division bench, comprising chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Amjad Sayed, however, refused to accept the petitioners’ contention.

Earlier, the petitioners’ counsel, advocate Uday Warunjikar, had submitted that the concern expressed in the pleas was genuine and that the PILs were filed to safeguard the interest of the residents of Vasai-Virar and Panvel civic body areas.

Warunjikar had cited that the essential-service employees formed a potent threat to other residents in these civic body areas.

He prayed that the state authorities were duty-bound to provide temporary accommodation to the frontline workers near their workplaces in Mumbai.

Maharashtra advocate-general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni said the PILs revealed the petitioners’ insensitivity.

He argued that when the frontline workers are engaged in combating Covid-19 and Maharashtra government has been trying their best to contain the spread of the virtual outbreak, the petitioners want to keep the essential-service staffers in isolation and ensure that they are denied the opportunity to return to their homes on completion of their hard day’s work.

He termed the petitioners’ demand as “most unfortunate”.

The state government also pleaded helplessness to provide temporary accommodation to the essential-service employees in Mumbai because of their high numbers.

The bench accepted the state government’s submission.

“Humane approach is the need of the hour,” it said.

The court added: “Even if some of such staffers might have unfortunately been infected by Covid-19 that is no ground to ostracise them.”

The court while disposing of the PILs made a scathing remark that the essential-service providers must be encouraged in discharging their duties without any fear or favour amid these hard times triggered by the viral outbreak.

The court hoped that the frontline workers would take the utmost care to protect themselves from the viral infection and also safeguard their family members by exercising caution and restrain.