The NHRC Member Justice Cyriac Joseph today urged legislators and parliamentarians to pay more attention to silicosis.
Inaugurating a conference on silicosis for endemic state organised by the NHRC, Justice Joseph said that building awareness about silicosis among legislators and parliamentarians is necessary to help them make laws.
At the same time, he said it is expected that they also acquaint themselves with the ground situation, studies and recommendations by the State Human Rights Commissions and the National Human Rights Commission about this life threatening disease through the reports submitted to State Assemblies and Parliament, said an NHRC statement.
"Justice Cyriac Joseph said that the legislators and parliamentarians can question the governments on non-implementation of the recommendations by Human Rights Commissions, to make them more effective even if they remain as recommendatory bodies for the protection and promotion of human rights as per the Protection of Human Rights Act passed by Parliament.
"He said that interaction with District collectors and doctors about the various aspects of silicosis is also very necessary to spread awareness and to understand their problems in dealing with this disease," said the statement.
During the day-long conference organized by the Commission on silicosis for endemic State, it was felt that the states needed to be more proactive and consistent in implementing the recommendations given by the Commission to address the issue of silicosis, which is an incurable disease of lungs and often confused with tuberculosis.
"It also felt that a lot still needs to be done by the governments to bridge the gap between the intent, policies and delivery to prevent the causes of this disease among the workers in mines, construction sites, gem cutting, stone crushing, glass manufacturing, ceramic and pencil industries.
"Their identification, medical and monetary relief and rehabilitation related issues are not getting properly addressed due the lack of uniformity in approach and coordination within various concerned government agencies including health, mines and labour departments," the statement said.
The diagnosis of silicosis is not easy and there is still no survey done to find the exact number of persons affected with silicosis, though on the basis of some samples, it is believed that a large number of workers, in the silica generating vocations, are affected by it in different States and particularly those wherein mining is being done on a large scale.
