'How can anyone stop this when they sleep on railway tracks?' SC on Aurangabad migrant workers death

The Supreme Court on Friday asked how anyone can stop incidents like Aurangabad when "they sleep on railway tracks," referring to the death of 16 migrant workers, who were run over by a goods train in Maharashtra last week while returning home on foot to their home in Madhya Pradesh amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Dismissing a plea filed by Advocate Alakh Alok Shrivastav raising concerns over migrant workers, a bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao observed that it was not possible for the court to monitor the situation and that it was up to the state Governments to manage the situation.

The advocate had filed the plea after the occurrence of a train accident at Gadhejalgaon village in Aurangabad that killed 16 migrant workers.

Appearing for the central Government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, which also comprised Justices SK Kaul and BR Gavai, that the government has already been taking steps to facilitate the travel of migrant labourers to their native place.

He said that the labourers start walking without waiting for their turn to travel which is making is difficult.

Shrivastav had prayed through his plea for a direction to the Central government to show cause that why no concrete action has been taken to avert the "heart wrenching train accident, which took place at Gadhejalgaon village in Aurangabad District (Maharashtra) on 08.05.2020 (Friday) at about 5.30 AM (Morning) in which at least sixteen (16) migrant workers, who were walking on foot, have been killed."

The plea had also prayed for directions to Union of India to direct the District Magistrates of each and every district of India to "immediately identify such moving/ stranded migrant workers in their respective Districts, immediately shift them to the nearest shelter homes/ camps, provide them sufficient food, water, medicines and counselling etc. and upon proper medical examination, ensure to provide free transportation to them to their respective native villages, with utmost dignity."

"How can anyone stop this when they sleep on railway tracks? How do you stop migrants who want to keep walking?" the bench observed as it dismissed the plea.