The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that migrant workers should not be charged any fare, either for rail or road transport, while traveling back to their homes.
The apex court further asked the state governments and Union Territories (UTs) to provide food, shelter and water to migrant workers, and also to those found walking back to their homes.
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A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and comprising Justices S.K. Kaul and M.R. Shah asked the state governments to arrange for food, shelter and water for the migrants waiting for their turn to board either bus or train to return to their homes.
The top court said that the concerned state, where the journey originates, will provide food and water at the railway station, and during the journey, the railways will provide meals and water to them.
“The state shall oversee the registration of migrant workers. It should ensure that after registration, migrant workers are made to board the train or bus at an early date and complete information should be publicised to all concerned,” said the bench.
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The bench added that migrant workers found walking on the roads should be immediately taken to shelters and provided food and all other basic facilities.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, contended before the bench that it is already being done, and the direction from the court may encourage people to move.
The top court directed the Centre and states to furnish all necessary details regarding the number of migrants, plans for transportation, mechanism of registration and other details.
Mehta replied, “We need 10 days to reply. All officials are doing a lot of work.”
The top court ordered that replies should be filed by June 5.
The top court said that it is worried over the series of difficulties faced by the migrant workers while attempting to reach their home states.
Though the states and UTs have taken measures, there are some glaring lapses in the overall process to provide relief to the migrant workers, it noted