State govt to clarify whether it wants to lend helping hand to migrant workers who could not go back to home states by June 24: Karnataka HC

The Karnataka High Court recently asked the state government to clarify whether it would "lend a helping hand" to migrant workers who had registered on the Seva Sindhu portal, but were unable to go back to their home states on or before June 24.

The Court also asked the state to place on record its decision whether such migrant workers would be treated at par with those who have gone back before June 24, which had marked the end of the 15-day period mandated by the Supreme Court.

This apart, a Divison Bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justive BV Nagarathna sought the following clarifications:

• Material to be produced to show that each and every person registered on Seva Sindhu wensite was communicated to compulsorily report at a mustering center after June 19.

• State and BBMP to place on record action taken reports regarding the distribution of food and supplies to those persons living inside containment zones.

• State to explain whether migrant helplines were functioning till June 24 and whether it would continue to remain functioning.

• AICCTU to place on record details of persons who were sent back from mustering centers after June 24. State to deal with this allegation after the details are filed.

• Union of India to place on record date-wise particulars of the number of requisitions made by the State of Karnataka for running of Shramik special trains from June 9 to date.

In its order, the Bench noted that the state had modified its earlier policy by specifying that those migrants who wished to go back to their states of origin must report to the mustering centres and that they will have to stay in the mustering centres if they intended to travel.

However, this change in policy which made it mandatory for the migrant workers to go to the mustering centres "has come five days before the deadline fixed by the Apex Court was to expire", the Bench observed.

During the hearing, the state government informed the Court that as of June 23, out of more than 9,00,000 migrants who had registered on the Seva Sindhu portal, about 4,06,395 had gone back by 284 Shramik special trains.

Further, it was stated that on June 24, three Shramik special trains had left from Karnataka for various destinations. Additionally, two Shramik special trains will be operated on June 25 and 26, from Bengaluru to Jiribam, Manipur.

On this point, the Court noted,

The matter will be next heard on July 2.

Read order here