NGO calls for blanket ban on import of asbestos by Centre, state govt

 dna correspondent @dnaahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Days before an international convention scheduled in Rotterdam takes up the issue of health hazards of asbestos, a Gujarat-based non-governmental organization has demanded that the central government put a blanket ban on the import of asbestos. The Occupational Health and Safety Association (OHSA) pressed for a blanket ban, saying asbestos is a killer product and has been banned by more than 55 nations across the world. The Gujarat Cancer and Research Center has confirmed that 108 asbestos-based cancer patients have received treatment at the center between 2008 and 2014. OHSA’s Jagdish Patel alleged that the central government as well as the state government have been insensitive to the issue and do not care for the health of workers. Patel said the Indian government should announce at the Rotterdam convention on May 8 that it is going to ban asbestos import and that it will not support exporters of asbestos. Raghunath Manvar, another OHSA activist, said many infected workers fight till the last for compensation as there is no guarantee that they will get it. There are cases, he said, where the ESI has not released compensation amounts even after the courts have ordered and that the orders have often been challenged, making workers’ lives miserable.

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