KASARGOD: Emotions ran high in the "AIIMS for Kasaragod" protest tent when the body of one-year-old Harshitha was kept for the public to pay their last respects.
Harshitha's death has once again exposed the lack of tertiary health care in Kasaragod and put the spotlight back on the government's neglect of endosulfan-affected persons in the district.
Harshitha, daughter of Mohan and Usha of Kumbadaje panchayat, died in Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Tuesday (February 1). Her family said she had several congenital disorders including hydrocephalus, which made her head grow faster.
Her body was kept at the protest tent from 11 am to 11.45 am on Wednesday.
The protesters then joined her family for the funeral at Mavvar in Kumbadaje panchayat.
Harshitha had to be taken to Kozhikode because Kasaragod did not have a tertiary hospital, said activist Ambalathara Kunhikrishnan.
Her conditions were similar to those identified as triggered by endosulfan and she was a native of Kumbadaje, one of 11 gram panchayats notified as affected by the aerial spraying of the pesticide. "Yet, her family will lose out on the compensation because the government has not conducted a medical camp to identify endosulfan victims for the past five years," he said.
The camp was not being conducted because the Endosulfan Cell, the government's district-level decision-making body for endosulfan survivors, has not met for the past 17 months, said protestors. "The cell is headless since the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government was reelected. It just takes five minutes to name a new minister as its chairperson in a cabinet meeting. But the government will not do it because it is not a priority," he said.
In the last Assembly session, the leader of opposition V D Satheesan raised the issue of Endosulfan Cell. "It looks like that government has decided to kill the Endosulfan Cell so that it can stop recognising new victims of endosulfan," said Kunhikrishnan.
On December 27, two children Ameya (5) of Thayannur and Muhammed Ismail (11) of Thaikkadappuram in Nileshwar died. Activists said they had endosulfan-linked ailments. But Ameya was not officially recognised as an endosulfan victim because no medical camp was conducted after 2017.
The government should feel the anger of the people of Kasaragod, said Lok Sabha member Rajmohan Unnithan. "The government should immediately call for the meeting of the Endosulfan Cell and also conduct special medical camps to identify new victims," he said.
He also asked the government to adequately compensate the family of Harshitha.