ASBESTOS CONTINUES TO TAKE ITS TOLL
The Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court on October 8, 2010 issued notices to respondents in a writ petition demanding compensation and medical aid for asbestos mineworkers. The petition was filed on behalf of the Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union.
Asbestos mines are situated in the Udaipur and Ajmer-Beawar region in Rajasthan. Considering asbestos as a hazardous substance, the Centre has banned issue of new mining leases and extension or expansion of them in 1986. Recently various mine labourers who had worked in asbestos mines in that region were found with asbestosis symptoms.
After hearing the arguments on behalf of the Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union, Justice Govind Mathur issued notices to the respondents for a final disposal of the petition and called upon the mining, medical, labour departments and the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad was asked to submit their replies by October 25, 2010.
Arguing on behalf of the Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union, advocate Sanjeet Purohit submitted that in 2006-07 the NIOH had made a health survey and found 80% of mineworkers in Ogana tehsil to be suffering from the deadly disease.
Despite this, neither medical aid has been extended nor compensation granted to the kin of deceased workers. Purohit said, after the survey, 10 asbestos mineworkers died last year.
