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Supreme Court | Photo: PTI
New Delhi: The Supreme Court directed Kerala's Kasaragod District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to inspect the medical and palliative care facilities which are provided to victims of toxic pesticide Endosulfan from district to primary health care centres and submit its report in six weeks. The instructions were issued by the bench presided over by Justice DY Chandrachud after reviewing the contempt of court petition filed by the organisation 'Serve Collective' for the Endosulfan victims. The case will be reviewed again on October 21.
The secretary has to submit the report after visiting the district and general hospitals and community and primary health centres. The apex court also directed that all concerned officials of the state government should provide needed information and support to the District Legal Services Authority.
The complainants had requested that the greenfield hospital with 551 beds constructed by Tata Group in Kasaragod and given to the state government should be allowed to be utilised for treatment of Endosulfan victims. The hospital that was used to treat Covid patients in the beginning was closed down after a while.
Since Endosulfan victims do not get proper treatment in Kasaragod, they have to travel around 600 kilometres to reach Thiruvananthapuram. The condition of district hospitals remains the same. The petitioners also pointed out that the 17 hospitals where free treatment was assured for Endosulfan victims are spread across the state and are not accessible.
(Inputs from PTI)
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