India: Parliament march to demand ban on killer pesticide endosulfan

P. Mujeeb Rahman addressing the media, Devikiran on his right

Announcing about the parliament march in a press conference today P. Mujeeb Rahman, Kerala president of SYM, said that this march is being organized as a part of SYM’s anti-endosulfan agitation.

Mr. Rahman said that the aerial spraying of endosulfan in cashew plantations of Kasargod district of Kerala has already resulted in the catastrophic death of 200 people and several health hazards to more than 4000 people.

The fatal pesticide has been used widely in India while most of the foreign countries have put a blanket ban over it, he further said.

According Rahman, the National Institute of Occupational Health recommended against the use of any chemical pesticide in Kasargod district in a report recently submitted to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

The sale and use of this pesticide was banned in Kerala by the Kerala High Court, the state government and the central government in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively.

The press conference was also addressed by Devikiran, one of the victims of the aerial spraying of endosulfan in cashew plantations of Kasargod. Devikiran, a 6th standard student of government blind school and his brother were born blind.

"The result of the spraying of endosulfan for nearly 25 years from the sky in the cashew plantations was kids with overgrown heads, those suffering from the pains of cancer, those who have lost mobility of their arms and blind and deaf and the list goes on,” said Devikiran.

The poison rain of the developmental terror unleashed by the ruling establishment and the pesticide bosses has turned our land into a land of destitute people

Reading in fluent English from Braille scripts, Devikiran further said, “What we need is justice. Our friends and mothers are starving as well as suffering untold miseries due to the various diseases.”