New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought
response from the Centre on a petition seeking ban on
Endosulfan pesticide across the country.
A bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia and
justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar issued notice
to the Centre and asked Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium to
remain present on the next date of hearing on May 11 to assist
the court.
The bench passed the order after senior advocate
Krishna Venugopal apprised the court of a petition filed by
CPIM`s youth wing, Democratic Youth Federation of India
(DYFI), seeking a ban on production and sale of the
controversial pesticide and sought its urgent hearing.
In its petition, DYFI has sought a direction to the
Centre to prohibit the sale of Endosulfan in its present form
or any other derivatives in the market.
DYFI has submitted that a large section of people was
directly affected because of the use of Endosulfan, already
banned in 81 countries and its use not permitted in another 12
nations.
The petitioner said several studies had documented
that Endosulfan could also affect human development. It gave
example of serious health hazards caused in Kerala`s Kasaragod
district.
"Researchers studying children from an isolated
village in Kasaragod district have linked Endosulfan exposure
to delays in sexual maturity among boys. Endosulfan is an
off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide.
"This colourless solid has emerged as a highly
controversial agrochemicals due to its acute toxicity,
potential for bio-accumulation, and role as an endocrine
disruptor," the petition said.
It said Endosulfan was the only pesticide applied to
cashew plantations in Kasaragod for 20 years and had
contaminated the environment there.
PTI
