Kochi: Steps have been taken to provide compensation to endosulfan victims as recommended by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the state government has informed the high court. The government’s submission was in response to a November 28, 2012, directive of the high court.

The state said in an affidavit that it was not against implementing all the recommendations of the NHRC on the compensation issue. The government’s priority has been the health and security of the people, which led to the decision to ban endosulfan, N Nandakumar, secretary of health and family welfare department, said in the affidavit.

The environment ministry has simplified the procedures for granting clearances to special economic zones as it seeks to shed the anti-industry image.

PCB claims ‘zero’ discharge from factories

SAMBA: Eight buffaloes were killed while four others fell ill after they consumed poisonous water from a nallah coming from SIDCO Industrial complex Samba to Basantar river this afternoon. The members of the Gujjar community whose cattle were grazing near river Basantar came to know about the matter and rushed there. They found six animals dead and about half a dozen others writhing in pain on the ground. They lodged their strong protest and alleged that their cattle died after they drank polluted poisonous water coming from about twenty factories located in SIDCO complex Samba.

Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has termed shameful and despicable the Union government move to facilitate sale of endosulfan stocks. In a statement here on Tuesday, Mr. Achuthanandan pointed out that the Supreme Court had banned the sale and use of endosulfan in the entire country on the basis of a petition filed by the Democratic Youth Federation of India.

The Union government had tried its best to block such a verdict. Its present demand was for permission to sell endosulfan in States other than Kerala and Karnataka. This was nothing short of treason.

Central Pollution Control Board accused of failure to keep the June 4 deadline

Environmentalists have accused the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of failure to keep the June 4 deadline for filing a report on groundwater contamination caused by Dow Chemical Company’s Union Carbide Corporation plant in Bhopal, despite its assurances and the need for compliance with the Supreme Court Orders dated March 28 and April 19, 2012.(In one of the world’s industrial catastrophes, thousands of people died and were injured following the leak of toxic methyl isocyanate at the UCIL pesticide plant on the night of December 2-3, 1984.)

In the wake of the leakage of toxic gases from a pesticide plant in Srikakulam district which forced people in 18 surrounding villages to flee their homes, government agencies may have been exposed

There is stiff resistance to the latest US federal court order that neither Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) nor its former chairman Warren Anderson were liable for any pollution-linked claims by the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster and the non-government organisations working here for the cause of the gas victims are determined to go in appeal against this order.

Reacting to the US district Court Judge John F. Keenan’s dismissal of the case on June 26, Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action said that is the fourth instance of dismissal.