• Welcome to Tamil Brahmins forums.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our Free Brahmin Community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

‘How can we stop it?’: Supreme Court on plea to halt migrant workers’ movement on roads

prasad1

Active member
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea to transport migrant workers - stuck in various states due to the nationwide lockdown necessitated by the coronavirus outbreak - marching to their hometowns either by cycling, walking or hitchhiking.

“How can we stop it?”, the bench, headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao, said that it is up to states to take action. The top court added that it cannot interfere based on newspaper clippings.

The plea by lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava had pointed out the death of migrant labourers in train and road accidents as they took to walking in an effort to go home.

On May 8, 16 migrant labourers were crushed to death by a goods train in Maharashtra after they fell asleep on the tracks.


According to railway officials, the workers were walking towards their home state Madhya Pradesh after they lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Most public transportation has already been cancelled due to the lockdown.

After persistent demands from the states, the Centre did allow migrants to be sent back home and allowed the railways to run Shramik Special trains for them. However, many migrant workers still continue to walk home.



They are walking back home as measure of last hope. This is not your morning walk in the park. This 1000 of miles for old, young, male, female, and children. This is a testament to the failure of the governments.
 
The SC should have been more proactive in tackling the migrant crisis

Besides handling the rising number of Covid-19 cases, and taking steps to mitigate the economic distress caused by the pandemic and the lockdown, the single most pressing issue for India at the moment is the fate of its migrant workers. For over 50 days now, millions of stranded workers, facing an acute shortage of food and cash, have desperately tried to return home. Tragic tales of families walking hundreds of kilometres abound. Five weeks after the lockdown was imposed, the government finally introduced measures to enable stranded migrants to return home — a process which is ongoing, but which has not stopped thousands of others from continuing to walk back home.

While the political executive has been correctly held accountable for its failure in addressing the plight of migrant workers in a timely and sensitive manner, it is also important to look at the role of another institution which should have done more in this period, to address this crisis — the judiciary. On Friday, dismissing a petition which asked that the Centre be directed to identify and then provide food and shelter to migrant workers returning home, the Supreme Court said it was a matter for the states to decide. The Court, it added, could not monitor who was walking or not walking, neither could it stop them. Referring to the Aurangabad incident, where 16 migrant workers sleeping on railway tracks were mowed down by a train, the court observed that there was little that could do done if people were sleeping on the tracks.

Irrespective of the merits of the petition in question, the observations fit into a larger pattern of the court’s attitude towards the issue. It has accepted the claims of the executive too willingly; it could have done more to order relief and protective measures; and it should have ensured strict court monitoring of the entire process of identification of migrant workers, provision of food and shelter either where they are based on during their travel, and their transport. To their credit, in the backdrop of workers having to wait for as long as 19 hours to board trains, the Gujarat high court observed that there was lack of coordination among government departments on the issue and asked the government to be more sensitive to the plight of the most “downtrodden, underprivileged and weaker sections of society”, and instil confidence in them. The Karnataka high court has also done well in observing that workers can’t be deprived the opportunity of travelling home because of their inability to pay fares. India’s poorest need help. The government has to do its bit. But the courts can help, with more sensitivity and direction.

 
It only reminds me what Bhishma asked Lord Krishna why I spite of my desire and my given word still my death is not coming to me.
Lord Krishna says every part of your body did the wrong of seeing the evil and suffering but not acted upon to save.
It is a shame when the whole country is in crises simy saying they cannot act as per news paper clipping.
Paradise of evils we live in.
 
The issues concerning the migrant workers have not started now. They are brought to the major cities by agents for working for cheaper wages and are the deprived lot for basic amenities or comforts. Their plight of this kind is because of non-payment of fair wages or the irresponsible attitude of their employers to look after them when the lockdown was declared. The notification of the government being to tackle a nation wide pandemic their employers should have provided them the basic support and sought the government's aid to support their efforts to contain the labourers in their respection work locations.
In India the unorganised labour force is a deprived lot even if they work for the government directly. Many government departments engage contract labourers and the department as the principle employer seldom take care of the labourers interests. They leave everything to the contractors who always exploit them. The contract labourers work much more than the regular employee and are paid pittance. The Law and law keepers and the responsible ones are not concerned to look into the core issue of the labourers. There has to be an earnest attempt to look after all interests of the labourers with humanitarian consideration.
The current noise is purely political in nature and the human face to address the core issues is yet to be seen any where.
There has to be a statutory regulation for a documented contract with each and every worker liisting the role and responsiblity of the worker and employer even if the work is tempororay in nature and insignificant in terms of the skill set. Every worker is a citizen of the country and he should be previllaged to his dignity of Indian citizen. The middlemen, agents and contractors should be done away with. The terms and conditions of the contract may be stringent but coupled with dignity for each labour and his rights as a honourable citizen of this country.
May be the experience of this lockdown will pave way for new thinking for more concern for the poor worker whose efforts immensely contribute for the development of this Nation.
 
The current noise is purely political in nature and the human face to address the core issues is yet to be seen any where.

This post is well thought out. except for the uncalled for (highlighted) comment.
The present government has been power for over 7 years, and you can absolve them of the blame.
This government has a bold plan and mandate to do it, but execution and implementation are very poor.
 
This post is well thought out. except for the uncalled for (highlighted) comment.
The present government has been power for over 7 years, and you can absolve them of the blame.
This government has a bold plan and mandate to do it, but execution and implementation are very poor.
The content of the post is neither to blame the government or any one in particular but the society at large. It is any ones guess that it is very difficult to bring about drastic changes by any government in an ever conflicting political scenerios. The severity of the workers sufference is exposed only now, lest similar posts would hove gone unnoticed.
 
The content of the post is neither to blame the government or any one in particular but the society at large. It is any ones guess that it is very difficult to bring about drastic changes by any government in an ever conflicting political scenerios. The severity of the workers sufference is exposed only now, lest similar posts would hove gone unnoticed.
Thank you for noticing and commenting on it. The majority of people of India seem to ignore it and wish it just goes away.
 
In totality of the situation, we should not see who is accountable and digging the past agents etc.
One incident read in the magazine is an eye opener: A writer writes (if I am right is it writer Sujatha or some one.
Veetla yeppavum nadakkara oru vishayam, daily keeraikkari madhiyam varuva. Engamma keerai vanguva. Ava Kitta peram pesi adavadi panni yeppadiyo nalla keerai vangiduva. Keera kariyum indhamma, idayum vachukko nan Indha oru kattu yenga poi vukkaradhu nee idayum samayal panni kuzhandhaigallu podu nne innum dharalama pottuttu pova. Yenga amakku vetri veeranganai.
Ippadi oru nal ava vandhu keerai vangi ava kilambum podhu ava chorndhu poi ukkandhu tta. Yengamma udane yennai kalaila yenna sappitta nnu ketta. Ava illama yenga inimel veettukku pona than yedhavadhu sappidanum. Kalaila nerathukku pona dhane vyabharam agum.
Yengamma avala parthu takkunnu ketta yendi undayi irukkiyaa. Appadiye ukkaru ippa varennu sollittu veettukkulla poitta.
Oru thattu niraya Idly chatni yellam pottu kondu vandhu indhadi sappidunnu koduththa. Ava adha sappittu vittu thanni kudichuttu varemma nu poitta.
Nan yengamma tta ketten. Yemma yeppavum ava Kitta orana 1-Ana keerai kku appadi malladuva. Ippa yennadanna avalukku rendu roopa 2 Rupees(old times) tiffin kodutha?
Dei Nan keerai vangara dhu ava vyabharam. Ippa nan senjadhu manidhabhimanam. Rendukkum mudichu podadhe.
Unakku puriyadhu.
Like this the keeping aside the economists advice government should have helped the workers on the road with family and children.
Always there is a saying. Listen to everyone's advice but decide yourself and act as per your conscience and better of your citizens.
 
hi

read the migrant crisis in tamil....very sad story...

 
What is funny is that all arguments are based with the implied assumption - "other things being equal". With 128 crore people, political, police and other corruption, logistics for transportation, refusal of people to accept law and order (never existed form the day we got free dome in 1947 and leaders never put it as the firs priority), shortage of resources - water , food..., Supreme court can not become a ruling political party. They can only suggest after the fact. None expected in the world that CORONA will be devastating and can not be controlled simply by blocking people etc. We see the same problem in other part of the advanced world. Also, none of us can give a coherent and comprehensive plan - a ton of experts from transportation to human management is needed. With quota and 95% pervasive corruption no solution will work to solve these problems. No credible statistical data exists that can prioritize things and implement the strategies to minimize the suffering. Finger pointing do not solve the suffering of the poor migrant is universal. Change in Indian culture and human care is already a fact of life. So, share your prioriize plan with financial resource requirement and hope Modi can try to implment it. The current experience is a new one in our recent history.
 

Latest ads

Back
Top