GUWAHATI: The Gauhati high court has directed secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Nagaon, to provide immediate relief in the form of food and other daily needs to families of marginalized and daily wage workers residing in the central Assam district.
The high court issued the directive after hearing a PIL filed by Nagaon-based resident Harunal Rashid raising concerns regarding the marginalized and daily wage workers in Nagaon district who were not able to sustain themselves in view of the pandemic.
Hearing a petition, a division bench of the high court comprising of Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak directed the the secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Nagaon to deploy its para legal volunteers in such areas.
“Let the para legal volunteers conduct the survey and give a report thereafter to the secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Nagaon,” the court order said.
It directed , “The secretary, thereafter, shall apprise the deputy commissioner, Nagaon of its report, who shall then provide immediate relief to such families in form of food and other daily needs,” the bench said.
Moreover, it was stated that many of the children, who were getting midday meal in schools, were also deprived of the same as the schools are not functional presently.
The petitioner had surveyed as many as 43 villages of Nagaon district while making the aforesaid submissions before the court.
In view of the averments made, the court sought reply of the state government within three weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on July 23.