Members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India staged a demonstration here on Friday urging the Centre to join the list of countries which had banned the pesticide endosulfan.
Gathered behind a poster depicting an endosulfan bottle as a “ghost” that needed to be driven away, the protesters raised slogans against the Centre for refusing to ban the pesticide as well as the State government which “had not provided adequate compensation to the victims”.
DYFI district unit president Muneer Katipalla said India should join the other countries which had banned the pesticide.
Kerala example
“In Karnataka and Kerala, the pesticide has done the same kind of damage to people and the environment. But while Kerala has not only banned the pesticide, it also provides a good compensation package and medical aid, Karnataka is still waiting for research reports (to confirm the effect of endosulfan on health),” he said.
According to some estimates, 6,000 people were suffering from diseases and disorders induced by the pesticide, he said.
But the State government had failed to provide compensation to the people affected by endosulfan.
He said that many of the people who should have got compensation had not received it.
The protestors burned a poster that depicted an endosulfan bottle with a ghost-like face.
