Thiruvananthapuram: The pesticide Endosulphan is banned in Kerala but it continues to be a threat to the people of Kasargode. A couple allegedly killed their nine-year-old son, Karthik, an endosulphan victim, and committed suicide by hanging themselves in the hospital room on Sunday.
Ambalathara Kunhikrishnan, leader of the Endosulphan Janakeeya Peeditha Munnani, said that the state government has not yet provided compensation to all the affected people. He alleged that the government inaction is forcing many people to take extreme steps.
The National Human Rights Commission had in 2010 December ordered the state government to give compensation to the affected people within six weeks. So far only about 2,315 people received the first phase of the compensation.
He said that all the affected people were not in the list as the state government had earlier decided to give compensation only to those in the 17 panchaythats which has the plantations. The pesticide was sprayed aerially and how can the government say that it will remain in the Panchayath limits.
He said that following their protests though the government had agreed to provide compensation to the affected in the 27 panchayats by March 31, 2014 nothing had happened in this regard.
As of now there is no records to prove that Karthik is an endosulphan victim as his name was not included in the first list as he was out of the 17 panchayats and the beneficiaries list after conducting medical camp in 2013 has not yet been published.
The couple Thampan and Pathmini had earlier lost their two children. Karthik was handicapped and mentally retarded. He was undergoing treatment at several hospitals. According to the police the suicide note state that it was due to the mental agony on the health of their child forced them to take the extreme step.
They have also mentioned that they had to repay some debts. Reports state that the child was found gagged and tied to the window grill and the parents were found hanging in the fan.
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