Kerala math announces relief package for pesticide victims

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Amritananda Mayi Math, the organisation of “hugging saint” Amritananda Mayi, Thursday announced a relief and rehabilitation package for the endosulphan pesticide victims in more than 250 families in Kerala’s Kasargode district.

Addressing the media here, the math’s second in command, Swami Amritaswaroopananda said that they would require the support of the state government in some respects to implement the package.

“We are prepared to build more than 250 homes for the victims and also a rehabilitation centre for the children who have become victims of the use of endosulphan. It is here we require the support of the government. The homes can be built on the land that the government should provide. We also require the support of the government to see that if the new homes can be built away from the affected villages,” he said.

Endosulphan has become a major issue in Kerala and the Left MPs last month staged a protest outside parliament to demand it be banned in the country.

The use of endosulphan at the estates owned by the state-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) in Kasargode began in the early 1970s and continued till 2001.

It has been a serious issue in Kasaragode for long after instances of children being born with neurobehavioral disorders, congenital malformation and other abnormalities in and around a dozen panchayats in the district.

While about 500 deaths in Kasaragode since 1995 have been officially acknowledged as related to the spraying of endosulphan, unofficial estimates put the total number of deaths since the late 1970s at around 4,000.

Amritaswaroopananda said thay they also decided to give a monthly pension to all the families besides conducting regular medical camps in the affected villages.

“We are also prepared to undertake a detailed study at these places if it warrants,” he added.

The math’s proposed package came hours after the PCK’s affidavit filed in the Kerala High Court that they sprayed the pesticide at the cashew plantations after conducting all the required procedures. It also informed the court that they will be unable to pay any sort of compensation to the victims.

The PCK filed the affidavit following a case being filed by environmentalists that PCK has to provide adequate compensation to the victims.