The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that no deaths of labourers have taken place due to non-supply of water, food and medicine and such incidents took place due to existing illness.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the entire country was working in "tandem" and a lot of submissions made in the court was unrelated to truth on the ground.
"No deaths have taken place due to non-supply of water, food or medicine. All are due to existing illness," the Solicitor General told a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, which reserved its order on the suo-motu (on its own) case relating to plight of migrant workers,
The bench observed that it would give 15 day time to the Centre and the state governments for sending to native places the all desirous migrant workers.
The statement by the solicitor general assumes significance in view of the allegations that many people had died on-board Shramik Special trains which were deployed to ferry migrant workers back home.
The law officer urged the court not to issue new norms on "quarantine for asymptomatic patients" and focus on the issue of transportation of workers.
At least nine passengers were reported dead on May 27 over a span of 48 hours on board the migrant trains and Railways had said that all of them had health conditions.
The Railways have been running Shramik Special trains on a daily basis throughout the country to ensure that migrants can travel back to their homes since May 1.
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