Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis said on Thursday that the district administration had identified five acres of land at Senapura village in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district for setting up a Permanent Rehabilitation Centre for those affected by the pesticide, endosulfan.
She was chairing a meeting of the District Endosulfan Affected Persons Rehabilitation Committee meeting at the Zilla Panchayat Hall, here.
Ms. Francis said that bus passes would be provided to those affected by endosulfan and also to one caregiver each, to accompany them on buses belonging to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
She directed the officers of the Health Department to provide the details of the persons affected by endosulfan to the KSRTC depot officers within August 10.
The KSRTC officers should distribute the passes to endosulfan patients and their caregivers immediately, she said.
Ms. Francis said that District Health and Family Welfare Officer, Rohini, to take steps to appoint staff to provide healthcare facilities to those affected by endosulfan, who were bed-ridden. The department would also have to ensure that vehicles were made available so that the healthcare facilities could be provided in the houses of the affected persons, she said.
She directed the officers to ensure that the legislators in the district reserved ₹ 10 lakh from the government grants they got for the welfare of the differently-abled persons.
Dinakar Babu, president of the Zilla Panchayat, urged the administration to conduct a re-survey of the persons affected by endosulfan and provide facilities to the genuine beneficiaries.
Dr. Rohini said that 26 water beds had been provided to those affected by endosulfan. It would be given to others if they asked for it. A survey to identify endosulfan patients would be taken up in villages which had been left out in the earlier survey, she said.
Sheela K. Shetty, vice-president of the Zilla Panchayat, and Uday Kotian, chairman of the Zilla Panchayat Standing Committee on Health and Education, were present.
