The anti-endosulfan Campaign Committee, which had been in the forefront to campaign for and to coordinate relief and rehabilitation works for hundreds of the hapless families of endosulfan victims on Monday expressed utter dismay over the “farcical” assurance in the budget proposals to mitigate plight of the less fortunate lot.

The government has issued an order taking over the liability to pay compensation to the victims of endosulfan, recommended by the National Human Rights Commission, and absolving the Plantation Corp

KASARGOD: The Plantation Corporation Samrakshana Samithi has demanded withdrawal of the study report of the community medicine of the Kozhikode Medical College on the ‘Epidemiological Studies Related to Health in Endosulfan-affected Areas of Kasargod district’.

In a letter to the principal of the Kozhikode Medical College, the PCK Samrakshana Samithi state secretary M Gangadharan Nair said the report of the medical college, which was later submitted to the Supreme Court, led to the government demanding huge funds from the PCK.

The Health Department has approved programmes under the unified master plan package for relief and remediation of endosulfan victims in Kasaragod district.
The Rs. 136-crore package is funded by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

Health Minister Adoor Prakash said in an official release here on Tuesday that 38 of the projects under the package approved by NABARD were to be taken up in the health sector.

Assistance given to 11 panchayats

The Thanal housing scheme for the victims of endosulfan was launched here on Monday. A demand draft for Rs.50 lakh to start the scheme works was handed over to 11 worst affected panchayats by P. Karunakaran, MP, at a function at the Collectorate on Monday.

Rs.99.63 crore from the agency constitutes 85 per cent of approved projects

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has decided to sanction nearly Rs.100 crore to implement a special package for upgrading infrastructure in 11 endosulfan-hit panchayats in the district.

The Plantation Corporation of Kerala Limited (PCKL) chairman, Varghese George, has called upon the government to take necessary steps to pay compensation worth Rs 120 crore to the victims of Endosulfan in Kasargod as directed by the National Human Rights Commission.

Addressing a meet-the-press programme at Pathanamthitta Press Club on Wednesday, Dr. George said PCKL was not in a position to bear with such a hefty financial burden as it would badly affect the prospects of the corporation as well as its 4000-strong workforce and hence the government should pay the same to the affected people.

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed three weeks’ time to the Union Government to file its reply regarding the ban of endosulfan. The bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia ordered the government to file its reply within three weeks at the court proceedings which lasted only two minutes.

Jalpaiguri, Jan.

Jalpaiguri, Dec.