Nagpur: Those who sweat under the sun and toil to produce crops for our consumption kept on dying and the Agriculture department, supposed to be their saviour, continued to remain bystanders. Out of the farmer deaths recorded in Vidarbha due to ‘inhaling pesticides’, 5 have been recorded in Nagpur district.
In a meeting held on the issue, Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has given the above information. M.B. Shende, Agriculture Superintendent informed Bawankule that 5 deaths have been reported due to inhaling pesticides and 10 due to its consumption. The first death in this case was recorded on 17th July. However, the Agriculture Department, Excise Department and police kept the information concealed even when the death toll was rising in other areas of Vidarbha. The whole information was disclosed only when the Guardian Minister conducted a meeting himself.
No coordination between the police, agriculture and Excise Department has been observed in dealing with the issue. Bawankule, in the meeting, has directed the agriculture department to take necessary steps in overcoming the issue by spreading awareness among the farmers.
The academicians and agro-scientists now are opining that wrong combination and faulty use of pesticides and spraying without any protective gear are the apparent reasons for the death of sprayers. It is the deliberate silence of mogul companies which has given a free hand to exploit the situation by the pesticide manufacturing companies.
It was essential for the farmers to keep themselves covered while spraying these strong chemicals. However, that did not happen which has resulted in several deaths. It is to be mentioned that every farmer is not allowed to spray these chemicals but a trained team must do it. However, it is often overlooked and the untrained farmers indulge in it by themselves.
The minister has declared that no slack in the case will be tolerated by the administration.
