New Delhi: NHRC Chairman KG Balakrishnan
will on Saturday visit villages in Kerala`s Kasargode where
people were affected by aerial spraying of insecticide
endosulfan in cashew nut plantations.
Balakrishnan, who is leading an 18-member team to the
villages like Padre and Enmakaje in the northern district of
Kerala, will examine whether people affected by endosulfan
spraying were properly looked after by the administration.
"The mandate of the tour is not to address the issue of
banning endosulfan. The Chairperson will look into whether the
rights of the affected people were taken care of," a senior
NHRC official said.
The team will check issues like whether there are proper
medical facilities available for affected people.
The team will interact with NGOs and social workers
working in these villages to get a feedback of the initiatives
taken by the administration, the official said.
The controversy over aerial spraying of endosulfan has
been raging in in cashew plantations owned by Plantation
Corporation of Kerala in Kasargode.
Studies had claimed that this was the prime reason for
various kinds of physical and neurological disorders seen
among people residing in these areas.
PTI
