Fearing stigma, Panaje panchayat opposes survey

KASARGOD: The Panaje grama panchayat on the Kerala-Karnataka border has taken a decision not to conduct a fresh survey in the area about various diseases reportedly caused by the spraying of endosulfan since it would stigmatise the population. The panchayat requested the Health Department not to conduct any fresh survey as demanded by the anti-endosulfan action committee there.The villagers of Panaje, located aerially 1.5 away from Padre village in Kasargod, had recently formed an action committee to demand compensation from the Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK), which conducted aerial spraying of endosulfan for about 18 years from the early 80s.  The villagers had said that the diseases were caused by the aerial drift of endosulfan-spraying in Padre village in Kasargod.  But the PCK management denied the allegation of the action committee that the diseases in Panaje were not caused by the aerial spraying of endosulfan in Kasargod.The decision of the Panaje grama panchayat followed the reports of social stigma attached to the various diseases in the area said to be caused by the spraying of endosulfan.Members who addressed the Panage grama panchayat meeting said the plight of the villagers in the endosulfan-sprayed grama panchayats of Kasargod that grooms from other places were not willing to enter into marriage alliances with those in the pesticide-sprayed areas.The grama panchayat and the local people opposed the move to conduct a survey by the health officials in this regard. The officials of the Health Department said that only the cases reported earlier were certified by the department and no fresh survey should be conducted on the diseases.A 2004-survey in the wake of the endosulfan controversy in Kasargod had found that Panaje grama panchayat had a total of 65 cases of health disorder, of which 30 cases were  challenged persons.  All the patients now get a minimum of Rs 400 to Rs 1,000 as monthly dole. But the patients included in the endosulfan list in Kasargod get around Rs 2,000 and other allowances for those attending the patients.