SC Directs State Govts’ to Share Costs of Migrant Workers

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the stategovernments to bear the cost of bus and train fares being charged from themigrants who are heading home due to loss of employment during the nationwidelockdown.

A bench of justices Ashok Bhushan, SKKaul, and MR Shah has said that migrant workers shall not be charged for any fare for the journey, either by bus or by train. The cost of their travel will have to be shared between the sending and receiving states, as per their arrangements, the court said.

The SC also directed the states to ensure thatmigrants should be provided with food who are stranded in various places.

The point of food distribution must be publicized and notified to the migrants for the period they are waiting for their turn to board a train or a bus, the SC order said.

In the train journey, the originating states will provide meals and water. The rest of the way, the Railways have been directed to provide meals and water. Food and water to also be provided in buses, the apex court has said.

On May 26, the top court had taken cognizance of the miseries of migrant workers and said there have been "inadequacies and certain lapses" by the Centre and the states and asked them to provide transport, food, and shelter immediately free of cost.

Hearing the PIL on the migrant crisis in India, the SCbench on Thursday said that it was concerned with the miseries and difficultyof migrants trying to get to their native place.

The Supreme Court has directed all states and UnionTerritories to file a reply on the number of migrants in their territory; howmany have been helped; and what arrangements have been made for them.

The next hearing on the matter will be on June 5.