ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
Press Release
Villagers
Demand Health impact study of asbestos & stoppage of asbestos factory
Bihar Lacks
Asbestos Cancer Diagnosis Hospital
Asbestos company’s
No Objection Certificate has expired
Patna/Vaishali/New Delhi November 12, 2012: A
delegation of villagers of Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jansagharsh Committee met
Chairman, Bihar State Pollution Control
Board (BSPCB) and submitted a memorandum demanding permanent stoppage of the
construction of lung cancer causing proposed white asbestos based factory by
West Bengal based Utkal Asbestos Limited (UAL) in Goraul block of Vaishali in a
residential area.
Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jansagharsh Committee has
declared that it will strongly oppose the construction of the asbestos factory
if the concerned authorities do not act to prevent the imminent public health
disaster in the light of the 2005 and 2006 resolutions of World Health
Organisation and International Labour Organisation which as called for elimination
of all kinds of asbestos because safe and controlled use of asbestos is
impossible.
The Committee demanded a
study of health impact of asbestos by State’s Health Department. A copy of the Hindi
Memorandum is attached. The Committee’s Press Statement in
Hindi is attached. The villagers noted that factory’s annual requirement over 4
crore cubic litre of water will have grave consequences for the entire region.
The white asbestos is a fibrous material used for
building roofs and walls. White asbestos is considered a hazardous chemical
substance for human lung and over 55 countries in the world have banned its
use. It adversely affects the workers, their families, communities in the
vicinity of the asbestos based factories and consumers by causing preventable
but incurable lung cancer like diseases for which there is no hospital in Bihar.
Given the fact that No
Objection Certificate and Consent-to-Establish certificate given by BSPCB has
expired on September 1, 2012, the Committee has demanded that the certificate should
not be renewed.
The delegation of Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao
Jansagharsh Committee comprised of Ram Asheshar Sharma, Lalit Kumar Ghosh, Ravindra,
Raj Kumar Chaudhary, Gopal Krishna and Awadhesh Kumar.
In a related development, District Magistrate,
Vaishali, Bihar held a tripartite meeting with Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao
Jansagharsh Committee, Vashali on October 10, 2012 to hear villagers’ grievance
against the proposed asbestos based factory of UAL. The
Committee has submitted a Memorandum is
to the DM. The same is attached.
The ongoing anti-asbestos struggle in Vaishali, Bhojpur
and Muzaffarpur in Bihar has shown that if the government does not act to save
public health informed citizens and villagers will act to stop such hazardous
factories which are harmful to the present and future generations.
Notably, the National Human Rights Commission has
issued notice dated July 6, 2011 to Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar and has
sent reminders asking it to file a report on the status of victims of asbestos
related diseases in the State and why it should not be banned. The State has
not responded as yet.
ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA) demands that Bihar should
become asbestos free to avoid the lung cancer epidemic that has engulfed the
developed countries due to past exposure to killer fibers of white asbestos. Since
health is a State subject, Bihar Government should act to protect citizens of
Bihar by stopping procurement of all asbestos products and stopping proposed asbestos
based factories. Defending an indefensible hazardous industry like asbestos
industries belittles States’ scientific reputation.
For Details: Ajeet
Kumar Singh, Convener, Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jansagharsh Committee Mb:
9931669311
Gopal Krishna, Convener, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA),
Mb: 8002263335, 09818089660, E-mail: krishna1715@gmail.com, Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com
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