CHANDIGARH: Citing growing concerns over public health, farmer safety and environmental protection, the NGO Himalaya NITI Abhiyan has submitted a memorandum to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, urging the state government to take immediate action against the sale and use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs), particularly paraquat dichloride.
The appeal comes after the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on July 10, issued a draft gazette notification proposing a complete ban on the import, manufacture, sale, transportation, distribution and use of paraquat dichloride due to its extreme acute toxicity and frequent fatal poisoning cases.
The proposed ban marks a significant move against one of the country's most controversial herbicides, years after doctors, researchers and lawmakers warned that paraquat had become one of India's deadliest agricultural chemicals.
The organisation described the draft notification as a historic opportunity for Himachal Pradesh to emerge as a national leader in promoting safe and sustainable agriculture.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Guman Singh, coordinator of Himalaya NITI Abhiyan and a resident of Khundan village in Kullu district, welcomed the recent clarification by the Directorate of Horticulture that highly toxic chemicals are not recommended under the state's Apple Spray Schedule.
However, he pointed out that a critical loophole remains.
"While we deeply appreciate the recent clarification by the Directorate of Horticulture that highly toxic chemicals are not recommended in the state's Apple Spray Schedule, a critical loophole remains. Paraquat and other highly hazardous pesticides are still being sold by pesticide dealers across the state," the letter said.
It noted that since the Centre's draft notification allows a 30-day window for public comments, the state government should invoke Section 27 of the Insecticides Act, 1968, to immediately suspend the retail sale and distribution of paraquat dichloride in Himachal Pradesh for an initial period of 60 days.
The organisation also urged the state government to formally endorse the proposed national ban before the Centre and expedite the pending petition before the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) seeking the phase-out of other highly hazardous pesticides, including monocrotophos, chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, zinc phosphide and carbofuran.
The letter concluded by referring to the Chief Minister's remarks in the Vidhan Sabha regarding the growing risks posed by toxic agrochemicals.
"As you have rightly highlighted in the Vidhan Sabha, the use of toxic agrochemicals has become a severe public health and environmental crisis in our state. We look forward to your decisive leadership in halting the sale of these chemicals to secure a safer, natural agricultural future for Himachal Pradesh," it said.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have already imposed temporary restrictions on paraquat.
The Centre's move follows months of growing pressure from clinicians treating paraquat poisoning, scientific studies documenting mortality rates approaching 80 per cent, and appeals from public representatives and families of victims.
In its notification, the Union Ministry stated that the expert committee constituted to examine the use of paraquat dichloride found that the chemical has been banned or severely restricted in more than 70 countries.
The committee also identified several areas of concern, including documented adverse health effects, a continued history of poisoning incidents, high fatality rates and the absence of a specific antidote.
