SC Directs States To Send Migrant Homes Within 15 days

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the migrantworkers should be identified and sent to their hometowns within 15 days, addingthat all the cases registered against migrants who have allegedly violatedcoronavirus lockdown orders should be withdrawn.

The apex court, in its orders, said that the states and union territories should prepare a complete list of migrant workers who have reached their home states and mention the work they were engaged in prior to the lockdown. The top court also asked the states and the center to specify schemes for employment of migrant workers after lockdown.

The court also directed the states and unionterritories to collect data for giving them jobs after mapping their skills.

A three-judge bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan,Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MR Shah issued the directions days after passing aseries of directions, asking state governments not to charge migrant labourersfor their train or bus journeys and asked states to arrange for their food andwater.

The Supreme Court said migrant workers who want togo back to their work places must be given counselling.

The top court, which had taken up the issue on itsown, said the Railways must provide additional special trains within 24 hoursof states making the demand for sending the migrant workers back to their homestates.