Health Minister Adoor Prakash said here on Friday that the Government would be taking a strong stand in favour of ban on endosulfan. However, he parried questions whether the State government would implead as a party in case seeking ban before the Supreme Court.
The Minister said that the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had clearly articulated the stand of the State government in the matter. (Mr. Chandy had said that the State government disagreed with the submissions of the Central government before the Court.). It had cancelled the licence of the Hindusthan Insecticides to manufacture endosulfan at its factory in Kochi.
Mr. Prakash said that the government was examining how the health problems faced by the people exposed to endosulfan could be solved.
The Health Department was also examining how harm to those getting exposed to the pesticide could be prevented in future. The Opposition Leader V. S. Achuthandan had criticised him without understanding that what he proposed was studies to find a solution to the health problems faced by the people. As the one which headed the government during the last five years, Mr. Achuthanandan was answerable for the failure of the previous government to do much for the endosulfan victims. All he had done was to stage a hunger strike before demitting office. He was trying to hoodwink the public through his statements and actions.
The Minister said that the government had signed no agreement secretly with the managements of the self-financing medical colleges. The government was not agreeable to the annual fee of 4.5 lakh sought by the managements. Hence, no agreement could be reached and the representatives of managements had sought time for consultations. The talks would resume on Friday evening.
