On Wednesday, Uttarakhand High Court expressed concern over many migrants returning to the state testing Covid-19 positive and asked the state and the Central government to clarify if returnees to the state were also being medically examined since ‘thermal screening is not enough’ and whether antigen tests, or any other rapid tests, could be conducted on people before they returned to the state.

Shiv Bhatt, counsel of the petitioner said the court issued these directions while hearing a PIL on the plight of the migrants and other needy people amid lockdown. The PIL alleges that authorities had failed to provide relief materials to the daily wage labourers and other needy persons on their doorsteps during the lockdown, adding that such people are “incapable of approaching the court as in the present crisis they are without any food or money..”.

So far seven people, who returned to Uttarakhand from other states during the current operation to send back migrant workers, have been found to be Covid-19 positive after arrival in the state, raising alarm bells.

According to government officials, till Wednesday evening, over 2 lakh registrations for return to Uttarakhand had been filed on the state website. Of these, the state government has so far brought back over 56,000 people through trains and buses, while over 6,000 people have returned to the state in their own vehicles.

Close to half of 30,971 people, who have registered with Uttarakhand government to return to their respective states so far, have been sent back.

“As regarding such persons who wish to come to Uttarakhand, we would like to know from the state authorities whether each person who is being given a permit is also medically examined. Thermal screening is not enough...Let the learned Assistant Solicitor General of India and the learned Advocate General come up with a definite reply as to whether antigen tests, or any other rapid test, can be performed on such persons. We say this because we have already been informed that Covid-19 positive persons have reached far-flung interior areas of the state such as Uttarkashi and Almora”, the court order stated.

The HC stated that it has been informed by the state government that there are 49 relief camps which are presently catering to 1,237 persons, mainly migrant workers from the neighbouring states.

The HC directed all the district legal services authorities in Uttarakhand to coordinate and cooperate with the district administrations for management of rehabilitation centres through their para-legal volunteers.

The court also said that migrant workers wishing to stay in Uttarakhand must be provided with food shelter and medicine.

“Those who wish to leave Uttarakhand for their home state, the state must provide free transport and passage to them so that they can reach their destination. What efforts have been made by the state in this direction, has not been disclosed so far”.

Source Link: Hindustan Times 

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