NL Correspondent
Jammu, Dec 23: Welcoming a number of people friendly initiatives taken by Sh. Satyapal Malik, the Governor of J&K, “We The Human”-Forum For Nature and Mankind, a registered charitable trust working for conservation of environment, in a press conference organized at press club Jammu, made an appeal to the Governor to ban sale of toxic pesticides, insecticides of Class I category in the state.
Addressing the journalists, K Y S Manhas Vice Chairman of Executive Body of the trust said that recently, Punjab Government banned sale of 20 pesticides/insecticides viz. Phosphamidion, Mathomyl, Phorate, Triazophos, Monocrotophos along with several other class I pesticides. These toxic class I pesticides are categorized into extremely hazardous (class IA) and highly hazardous (Class IB) to human health by the World Health Organization and are banned in many countries. Punjab and Haryana, taking lessons from past catastrophe caused due to excessive use of toxic chemical pesticides consumption, have taken number of strict measures resulting in a declining trend in pesticides consumption.
M. Sadiq Nargal Food Technologist said that very few among us may be ignorant about daily Abhor-Jodhpur passenger train which is named by locals as ‘Cancer Train', running between Bathinda & Bikaner; The poor patients mostly the farmers and their family members suffering from Cancer disease as a result of the adverse impact of ‘Green Revolution' on public health in Punjab, especially in Punjab's Malwa region (the cotton belt) travel to Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Treatment and Research Center Bikaner for undergoing free of cost treatment for Cancer. As a bad impact of Green Revolution, Cancer and other serious health problems including neuro disorders among newly born children entered into Punjab farmer's homes and took shape of epidemic since 1990's. Advocate Sahib Aggarwal said that if state like Punjab, highly dependent on pesticides, acts in the interest of public health and bans sale of 20 class I category toxic pesticides/ insecticides following the ban of sale of these toxic chemical pesticides in most of the countries, J&K state govt. should also take initiative to eliminate sale of these highly toxic class I pesticides in Jammu and Kashmir. He also expressed his serious concern over the reports coming from Jammu where it has been observed that few agricultural farmers in Jammu belt make spray of chloroperiphos and Aldrine directly on the vegetable crop which is very harmful for people health .(KNS)
