'Everything Is On Paper' : Lawyer Tells SC On Travel Arrangements For Migrants; SC Seeks Responses Of UP & Maharashtra [Read Order]

The petition, filed by Advocate-on-Record Ejaz Maqbool on behalf of Advocate Sagheer Ahmed Khan, had submitted that the Petitioner was himself a migrant from Sant Kabir Nagar and was well-versed with the plight of the migrants who have been left to fend for themselves in the midst of the national lockdown imposed in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Petitioner, in order to show his bona fide intention, had agreed to submit a sum of Rs. 25 lakhs in the Registry of the Supreme Court, towards the cost of travel of the migrants belonging to districts of Basti and Sant Kabir Nagar, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion.

Senior Advocate C.U. Singh, on behalf of the Petitioner, submitted to a Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and BR Gavai, that the Petitioner had personally approached the nodal officers for the migrants, but nobody was available.

"I have offered 25 lakhs myself. Everything is on paper. However, there is no assistance, no means for migrants to approach. The government must engage people at the lower level. You cannot just have one nodal officer for a district".

Justice Rao, accordingly asked Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta to consider the petition and stated that there should be officers at the lower level to look into the grievances of the migrants.

The SG informed the Bench that as the nodal officers are appointed at the State level, he would be coordinating with the States regarding the same.

The Court then directed the SG to seek instructions and asked the Counsel for Maharashtra to find out if access had been given to the migrants. The Governments of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have also been directed to file an affidavit on steps being taken by nodal officers to provide help to migrants with regard to travelling from Mumbai to their native places.