Kerala government has cheated endosulfan victims, says activist Daya Bai

social activist Daya Bai alleges Kerala government "cheated" her by not keeping promises to address endosulfan victims' concerns in Kasaragod. She'll observe "Days of Betrayal" in protest. She questions AIIMS campus decision, citing existing medical facilities in Kozhikode. 27,000 registered for medical screening camps in Kasaragod, but demand ignored. Chief Minister not ready to meet her. Key demands: improved medical facilities, care centres, medical camps, AIIMS campus.

Social activist Daya Bai has alleged that the Kerala government has “cheated” her by not keeping any of the promises made earlier to address the concerns of endosulfan victims in Kasaragod district.

Speaking to reporters during the inauguration of a State-level anti-drugs campaign in Kozhikode on October 20, the 82-year-old activist declared that she would observe “Days of Betrayal” in the days to come in protest against the Kerala government’s withdrawal from the promises.

Questioning the actual motive behind finalising the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campus for Kozhikode district, the veteran activist said the “biased decision” was taken without considering even the fact that Kozhikode already has three medical colleges and eight other speciality hospitals. She alleged that the plea of Kasaragod to at least include its name on the list of probable destinations submitted to the Union government for AIIMS was ignored.

She claimed that the number of patients in need of immediate treatment was very high in Kasaragod district and their concerns had been remaining unaddressed for years. “There were about 27,000 persons who registered their names to attend the medical screening camps planned by the government for treatment support. The demand of the ‘backward district’ was completely sidelined despite it offering the required land at a convenient spot for AIIMS, she said.

According to Daya Bai, the Kerala government changed its stance even after deputing the Health Minister and the Minister for Social Justice for implementing the promises made at the time of her hunger strike seeking justice for endosulfan victims in Kasaragod in 2022. “The Chief Minister is not even ready to meet me despite us boasting of our democratic values,” she said.

Key demands put forth by the activist during her hunger strike in Kasaragod in 2022 included improved medical facilities for endosulfan victims, care centres in all gram panchayats, special medical camps to identify all affected people and an AIIMS campus.