A labour camp in Kochi. Representational imageKochi: The Kerala High Court ordered the closure of an overcrowded lodge for migrant laborers at Ambalamugal near Kochi. The judge also noted that such camps posed a social problem as well as violations of migrant laborers’ rights.
Treating migrant laborers as second-class citizens tend to push them into criminal acts, Justice K Vinod Chandran said. The judge said he was not getting into a recent incident that has roiled the state.
A laborer from Assam was picked up by the police as a suspect in the horrific murder of Jisha, a law student near Perumbavoor.
Justice Chandran referred the issue of mistreating migrant laborers to a larger bench comprising the acting Chief Justice. He said migrant labourers should be accepted as part of the social mainstream and they should be steered away from epidemics and the influences of crime and narcotics.
He was hearing a petition filed by M A Jose from Ambalamugal about a building where about 200 migrant laborers were forced to stay without even a washroom. The judge ordered the building owners to pay the litigant Rs 50,000 as expenses. They had challenged the Vadavukod-Puthencruz panchayat’s order to close down the camp.
The court ruled that the panchayat had every right to interfere when unhygienic situations prevailed as they were duty-bound to ensure that residents in the area were not affected and the place was free of any epidemics.
The court ordered the Ernakulam District Collector to entrust a senior officer to close down the camp and find alternative accommodation arrangements for the laborers.
