The CPI State executive has accused the State government of denying treatment and financial assistance to the endosulfan victims in Kasargod.
A resolution passed here on Saturday said owing to the extensive spraying of endosulfan in the cashew plantations in Kasargod, 700 persons died and about 4,182 persons were suffering from various diseases, including cancer.
The Human Rights Commission had found that several people had become mentally challenged and some had even been rendered immobile. This was detected on examining 26,200 persons who attended 29 medical camps. The details of those who attended the camps held in August to December 2010 were yet to come out, the executive said.
The previous LDF government had sanctioned pension and provided medical benefits to the victims. The kin of the dead had been given Rs.50,000 each. Though the UDF government announced an enhancement of Rs.50,000 in the compensation to the kin of the deceased, medical facilities had not yet been provided to the victims who were confined to their homes. As per the commission’s directive, those who had been rendered immobile, the kin of the dead and the mentally challenged, should be given Rs.5 lakh each and others who were included in the list should be given Rs.3 lakh each. But so far, the assistance was given to only 101 persons, and some cancer patients had not been included in the list. While planning to conduct fresh scrutiny, the government, in a letter to the commission in May, said it had allocated the funds to grant relief.
This had cast an impression that the Central and State governments were supporting the endosulfan lobby.
This amounted to cheating the victims. T. Purushothaman presided. State secretary Pannian Ravindran, national executive members C.Divakaran, Kanam Rajendran, Veliyam Bhargavan took part.
