Kasargod celebrates its 28th birthday

Kasargod, May 25: People from different walks of life hailed the Cabinet decision to address the backwardness of the district and for agreeing in-principle to accept the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the endosulfan victims.

To them, the move is a 'birthday gift' for the district, celebrating its 28th anniversary of formation, on Thursday.

The State Cabinet decision, to appoint a commission by retired Chief Secretary and former District Collector P. Prabhakaran to submit a report on development needs of the district within six months and allocation of Rs. 5.85 crore to upgrade the police force in view of the recurring communal clashes here, should be viewed as a “birthday gift” for the district, said Kerala Pradesh Executive Committee member M. C. Jose.

Mr. Jose also lauded Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for agreeing to in-principle accept the recommendation of the NHRC, urging the government to pay a compensation of Rs.5 lakh each for the families of deceased endosulfan victims and Rs.3 lakh each for the ones seriously ailing.

The Cabinet moves, to seek from the Centre a review on its decision on import of areca nut to save the cash- strapped farmers in the district, was also a welcome step, he said. The decision came after proposals for a comprehensive development package and other issues, concerning the backward district, was submitted to Mr. Chandy by a team of Congress leaders, he claimed. The leaders were led by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Ramesh Chennithala in Thiruvananthapuram on May 18.

The proposals were codified during Mr. Chennithala's interaction with a cross section of the society during the recently held 'Sneha Sandesha Yatra' led by him to campaign against recurring communal clashes in parts of the district, Mr. Jose said, lauding the efforts of the KPCC president.

On the decision to agree in-principle to implement the NHRC recommendation on endosulfan victims, senior Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran, in the forefront to coordinate relief and rehabilitation of the victims, called for a mechanism to ensure effective implementation of the already announced rehabilitation packages.

Lack of coordination

“There appears to be lack of effective coordination among various agencies to take the relief and rehabilitation packages and the assured medical modules to the victims,” Mr. Sudheeran told The Hindu over phone. The authorities should now strive to convene a meeting involving people's representatives, officials concerned and anti-endosulfan activists in the presence of Mr. Chandy, he said.

Lauding the Cabinet decision, Anti-endosulfan Campaign Committee Vice-President Narayanan Periya wondered why the government was “reluctant” to consider the study on the health hazards of endosulfan, submitted by the Kozhikode Medical College, when the report was accepted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The report by the Medical College had even been submitted before the Supreme Court.