Advocate Reepak Kansal has moved a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Supreme Court seeking compensation for the families of persons, including migrant workers, who have died or who were injured while walking on roads in an attempt to reach their home states amid the COVID-19 Lockdown.
The plea has asked for directions to ensure the health of all such injured migrant workers and the availability of medical facilities to them and for the compensation of families of migrants who have died.
Another prayer made is to “save the migrants labors from atrocities of police/ security agencies.”
The petition stated that there is further discrimination by the Government with a pick and choose policy being adopted to pay compensations on the deaths of only some migrant workers. The Union has paid compensation on the death of few migrant workers and the same was covered by the press.
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It is further stated that the government has been indirectly forcing the migrant workers to walk to home towns as no prior arrangement or adequate policy had been in place for their transportation amid the Lockdown.
The petition highlighting compensation for migrants’ death stated,
“the government authorities failed to provide safe travel / necessary transportation and protection to migrants labors due to which many of them have lost their lives and got injuries in road accidents or otherwise.”
The petitioner has urged that the Central Government be directed to pay compensation for the injured migrant workers and for the families of those who died during the nationwide lock down.
Read the petition below:
