Provide Compensation of Rs. 25 lakhs to the Families of the Migrant Workers who Lost their Lives During the Lockdown – M K Faizy

New Delhi: The central government should pay a compensation of Rs. 25 lakhs to the families of the migrant workers who lost their lives due to hunger and exhaustion at the work place and on their journey back to their villages on foot following the unprepared lockdown, demanded MK Faizy, national president of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

The government had neither taken any positive measures to ensure food and accommodation to the migrant workers who had lost their jobs and earnings due to the lockdown, nor had arranged adequate transport facilities to ferry them back to their homes. This had created grave concerns and fear among them. It is the lack of food and accommodation coupled with the cruel and brutal treatment of the police that forced them to undertake the journey on foot even when there weren’t any transportation facilities for them to go back home. It’s shocking that 378 people have died without contracting the disease in the country since the lockdown started. It was the cancellation of public transport systems without any alternate arrangements that increased the damage of the disaster. 74 persons lost their lives in road/ train accidents, 47 died due to hunger, 40 people died due to denial of medical services, 12 lost their lives as the result of police brutality, 26 died of exhaustion due to the long journey and 83 persons committed suicide. Many injured people are undergoing treatment. The government should bear their hospital expenses. The government-made disasters under the guise of Covid spread cannot be ignored. It has been due to the indifference of the government in intervening on time that led to the loss of these much human lives. The Modi government cannot shirk the responsibility of this disaster, reminded Faizy. He also urged the government to pay the compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the dependants of the deceased and the expenses and adequate compensation to the people in the hospitals, immediately.