Congress' Randeep Surjewala approaches Supreme Court over migrant crisis with urgent plea

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court in a plea seeking to be heard urgently in the matter regarding the condition of migrants in the country. The Supreme Court had taken Suo Moto cognisance of the problems and miseries of migrant labourers who had been stranded in different parts of the country after the nation-wide lockdown was imposed in the country.

Surjewala, in his plea, has told Supreme Court that due to the nationwide lockdown, the Parliament of India has not been able to conduct any sessions since March 2020 and hence the Indian National Congress has been unable to raise the questions of migrant labourers before the Parliament. Further, the Government has failed to formulate any joint committee with the opposition political parties for addressing issues of stranded migrant labourers. As a result, Surjewala was forced to approach the Supreme Court.

The Intervention Application filed by Sunil Fernandes, on behalf of Congress' Randeep Surjewala in the Suo Motu Migrants Labourers Writ Petition No. 6/2020n, has been listed for hearing on Thursday before the Supreme Court.

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Measures listed in Congress' plea

The plea lays down suggestions to alleviate the plight of the stranded migrant workers who are presently stranded or travelling long distances with great difficulty. The measures include -

1. Identification and laying down the total number of migrant labourers who continue to be stranded through an exercise carried out by the Government on District and Village level.
2. Setting up of reception centres and facilitation centres at District and Village levels for receiving labourers and facilitating further travel.
3. Formulation of a nationwide action plan to address the issues of stranded migrants.
4. Formulation of a scheme to provide food, medicine and shelter to stranded migrant labourers.
5. Formulation of schemes for immediate financial relief to be provided to the migrants as well as gainful employment while also taking into consideration the education of young children coming from migrant families and the general well being of their family members.

The plea by Surjewala comes a day after the Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre, States and Union Territories, seeking response on steps taken to “redeem the miseries of migrant labourers.”

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