The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday directed the State government to specifically inform all migrant workers that they must report at mustering centres to make use of the facility to travel home in Shramik Special trains.
Referring to the simplified policy of the State government for helping migrant workers registered in the Seva Sindhu portal and others, the court said the policy does not specifically mention the need for assembling at mustering centres, though during the argument such a claim was made on behalf of the government.
The court directed the government to ensure that the concerned district authorities specifically inform migrant workers that they should report at mustering centres to travel in special trains. Arrangements for food and stay will be made at such centres till they board the special train. The government had stated that 80 mustering centres have been set up across the State.
A special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice B.V. Nagarathna issued the direction during a videoconference hearing of PIL petitions.
On deadline
Also, the court asked the government to take a relook at the deadline of June 24 to arrange special trains for migrants. It pointed out that the Supreme Court had not stated that the special train arrangement cannot be made after June 24. The apex court had only stated that the process of transportation of migrant workers “may” be completed within 15 days, and hence the State government’s policy of fixing June 24 as the deadline was erroneous, the Bench observed.
