Migrant Worker Crisis amid Corona Lockdown: SC takes suo moto case on TMC MP Mahua Moitra's letter about them being stranded

03 Apr 2020

Categories: Latest News

The management of the migrants workers who took route to their native places soon after nationwide lockdown announcement due to lack of facilities and proper information has emerged as an equal problem as the virus itself.

The concerns are coming from every corner and Government is trying to find a solution to the situation.

In wake of the same, TMC MP (WB) Mahua Moitra has wrote a letter to the CJI highlighting the plight of the migrant workers amid COVID-19 pandemic.

A Bench comprising of Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice Deepak Gupta will consider the case tomorrow.

Moitra will be appearing in person in the case.

In the letter, It was stated that she has personally received over 300 requests of help from stranded migrant workers belonging to her area from far away places in Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi, Gurgaon etc.

She said:

"These poor workers, some of them employed at construction sites and others in factories, are thousands of kilometres away from their homes and live in extreme penury."

She went onto urge the SC Judges:

"Given the loss of life involved and the terrible hardships being faced by these poor workers, I beseech your lordships to urgently take up the matter and issue appropriate direction to the Government of India and private employers."

She pleaded in the letter that directions shall be issued to the Executive Agencies to make arrangements for the stranded workers, as well as for the employers to release wages to these workers, along with food ration and shelter during this period.

The letter further read:

"My lords, these workers are the poorest of the poor and they subsist on daily wages. Unless a serious and immediate intervention is made by the executive agencies, thousands will perish from starvation and lakhs will be put to the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 virus."

Previous to this, a bench lead by CJI Bobde had issued a slew of directions in another PIL for the welfare of migrant workers.

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