The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed Kasaragod district collector Inbasekar Kalimuthu to depute a competent team to interact with endosulfan victims and their families who had been allotted houses and find out if they required anything further to enable them to live in their allotted residences peacefully.
Justice Devan Ramachandran issued the order on a writ petition filed by Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, Kerala, complaining that despite the completion of the construction of the 36 houses several years ago, the Collector had not taken any steps to hand them over to the beneficiaries.
When the petition came up for hearing, the Collector, who appeared online, submitted that out of the 36 houses, 35 had been handed over to eligible persons, while there was a controversy with regard to the last one.
The court observed there appeared to be some resolution to the controversy. It was gratifying that at least 35 endosulfan victims and their families have been now rehabilitated through proper houses. However, it is not sufficient that they are handed over the keys, but we must also ensure that they are able to live well with all the basic facilities as are imperatively required for a good human existence.
