The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to provide all essential facilities, including food, water, medicines and counselling for the migrants that the government said have been shifted to shelter homes across the country. The apex court also ordered that the duty of managing the shelters should be entrusted on volunteers and not on the police, adding that "there should not be use of any force or intimidation."
The orders were given by a two-judge bench comprising CJI S.A. Bobde and Justice L. Nageswara Rao as the SC was hearing petitions concerning migrant workers amid nation-wide lockdown via video conferencing on Tuesday.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court: "I have instructions to state that no one is now on the road. Anyone who was outside has been taken to the available shelters." The home secretary also reiterated the Centre's stance that all migrant workers have been moved to shelter homes. "As of 11AM on March 31, nobody is in the road. They have all been taken to the nearest shelter available." SG Mehta added that an advisory has been issued to states regarding complete prohibition of inter-state migration.
SG Mehta submitted that there was enough stock of food available for one year at the moment.
In response, CJI Bobde stressed on the need for giving strength and morale boost to the people, saying panic would destroy more lives than the virus and there was a need for counsellors. He pointed out that there needed to be sufficient availability of drinking water in the shelters along with food, beds and medicines. He also asked for mobilisation of community leaders from all faiths to pacify the migrant labourers housed at shelter homes.
The Centre assured that in addition to trained counsellors, it would also mobilise religious leaders to counsel the migrants lodged at shelters to stay calm. This will be done within 24 hours, Mehta added. The SG also informed the court that authorities are ensuring that food packets were given to the homeless and daily wage workers. "Help from mid-day meal kitchens, railway caterers, religious trusts and corporates is being taken to provide food for the workers."
Citing the 2011 Census, the Centre informed that more than four crore people, who had moved to cities for work, are now in backward migration due to fear of COVID-19. "The lockdown was imposed in order to prevent meeting and mixing of people to contain spread of the virus. We are trying to ensure that no migration is permissible, it would be risky for them (migrant workers) and the village population," SG told the court.
The next hearing in the matter will be on Tuesday, April 7.
