Kerala opposes Centre's stand on endosulfan

The Kerala government protested against the Centre's stand that use of endosulfan pesticide is unlikely to cause any public health hazard and its request to the Supreme court to lift the ban on its production and sale.

Reacting to the Centre's position on the issue in an affidavit filed in the Apex Court in a connected case, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the state cannot agree with the Centre's view that endosulfan was not causing health problems.

"The anguish and pain endured by people of a few panchayats in Kasargode district is enough to prove the harmful effects of endosulfan pesticide. We believe the people's suffering in the area is due to the pesticide itself", Chandy said.

The pesticide is banned in Kerala and the state is in the process of implementing a rehabilitation and relief package for hundreds of persons who are suffering due to various illnesses caused as a result of spraying endosulfan in cashew plantations in the district.