The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed the state government to submit a detailed report on the plight of migrant workers from Andhra Pradesh stranded in other states.
The court sought the reply of the state government to a petition filed by CPI state secretary Ramakrishna highlighting the problems being faced by the poor and migrant labourers during the lockdown period. The HC asked the state government to file a status report on steps being taken to tackle the large scale movement of migrant workers across the state. The court directed the state government to ensure medicines, food, water and other essentials for the migrants. The petitioner sought urgent directions to the state government to redress the heart wrenching and inhuman plight of thousands of migrant workers walking for hundreds of kilometres. The petitioner sought from the court that the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution needs to be enforced for migrant workers who are severely affected by the lockdown
The petitioner sought Rs 10,000 relief package to the poor families who lost their livelihood due to the complete lockdown, sought directions to the state and central government to provide relief with respect to medicines, food, water and shelter for the migrant workers and their families, including women, kids, and elders, who are walking to their villages amid the crisis.
In the past, Telugu Desam Party National president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had appealed to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy to help rescue over 2,000 Telugu fishermen and construction workers who are stranded in different locations in TN since the imposition of nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. In a letter addressed to Mr. Bhalla, Mr. Naidu said that these migrant workers were stuck in different places in Chennai, Erode and Tirupur districts.
Naidu also wrote to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani expressing concern that more than 4,000 fishermen were stranded at the Veraval fishing harbor in Gujarat’s Gir Somanath. The fishermen, mostly from Vishakaptnam Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, were eager to return to their native districts and their family members were a worried lot, Naidu wrote.
