Don't dump migrant workers at any of the border districts of State, High Court directs telangana government

Hyderabad: The High Court Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy heard a plea filed by Prof. Ram Shankar Narayan Melkote that there are large number migrant workers who are walking on the Medchal national highway and are being dumped at the Adilabad border, without any support from the government.

Despite the scorching hot weather, women and children are walking on the highway, some of the women have even delivered children and/ or carry infants with them, as they walk in the hot summer days, the petitioner alleged.

Hearing the plea the Bench directed the State government to find out as to the number of migrant workers, who are stranded on Medchal national highway or are walking on the highway.

The migrant workers who are walking in the Medchal National Highway should immediately be assembled and taken to Medchal, and be housed in the marriage halls there.

Further, once they are housed, it is the duty of the government to ensure that they are provided food, shelter, water, and toilets, said the Bench.

Furthermore, the State should also see that the migrant workers are not dumped at any of the border districts of the State. In fact, the State is directed to make concerted efforts to take the migrant workers to the nearest Railway Station/Bus Stand, where they will be able to find trains/buses to be able to reach their villages, and cities in other States, safely and soundly.

Moreover, the Court issued orders to be strictly complied with, failing which the Court will take a serious view of any omission, or inefficiency, on the part of the State, the Bench added.

The Bench directed Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad to inform the court about the concrete steps taken by the State to ameliorate the conditions of the migrant workers, and about the implementation of the directions. For further hearing, the case has been adjourned to May 29.