Explain policy for rehabilitation of migrants: HC

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court has issued a notice to the state government and asked it to explain the policy and norms for rehabilitating migrant workers and giving medical treatment to them. The court also asked the state government to state how it planned to stop the spread of the Covid-19 disease in rural parts of the state.

“The state is also required to give a complete layout to reduce migration of the natives of Uttar Pradesh to other parts of the country to earn minimum livelihood,” the court said. A division bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and justice Ramesh Sinha issued the notice to the state government through additional advocate general Manish Goyal.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by Ritesh Srivastava and Gaurav Tripathi, both high court lawyers. The court fixed June 1 as the next date of hearing.

As for providing transportation and food to migrant labourers, the high court said that the Supreme Court had already taken cognizance of the matter. Therefore, the high court was not inclined to seek any explanation in this regard from the state government, the court said.

The petitioners said migrant workers were walking hundreds of kilometres from their place of work to their hometown/village amid the national lockdown.

Neither the central government nor the governments of the states, where the labourers were working, made adequate arrangements for their transportation, the petitioners alleged.

According to the petitioners, Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India stipulate protection of dignity and human status of the migrant labourers.