A story of silicosis affected people of Telangana:
The story of the people of shadnagar of rangareddy district in Telangana denotes the actual judicial justice process and the governance in india.
This true story shows the thickness of shadow of the vulnerable people in India.
This is the story of the people who suffered a lot and died of the fatal disease silicosis, caused because of working in a quartz mine of the AP mining development corporation. Earlier years were run smoothly but after some years of work in the factory and exposed to the dust particles of quartz/silica, symptoms of silicosis started appearing.
However, initially the people were taken it as serious as it was. Corporation authorities and local govt. hospitals were also misguided the people. They did not get proper treatment in initial stages. Officials of the corporation were used to give a piece of jiggery, immediate relief for cough, among the workers.
Disease became serious:
People/workers neglected the cough, condition of the silicosis became serious. Ironically, workers did not know that it was silicosis. Workers who got sever cough approached private hospitals in Hyderabad. From there they were guided to the TB hospital in vikarabad.
Sadly, people mortgaged their houses and land to meet the cost of treatment. But, the family members din not save the lives of the affected persons.
Disease caused because of irregular and uncontrolled mining in the area. The disease, silicosis, not only taken away the lives of the people but also made them poor. Even now we can see number of single/widow women in the area of Elkatt, where the quartz crushing was done, and chowlapalli, where the quartz mining was done. The areas of mining became hell on the earth to the people of that area.
Number of persons affected with silicosis is increasing day by day. Corporation and the APMDC has supressed the truth. After a low intensity protest (for compensation) corporation stopped its mining in 1980 although the mining lease valid till 1985. Instead of the toxicity of workplace, the corporation told the workers that the mining had become economical. This is a tactic played by the company/corporation to avoid the liabilities under section 20-O of the Indian industrial dispute act, 1947 and section 6 of the metalliferous mines regulations, 1961.
Entry of the NGO:
Banjara Development Society (BDS), an NGO complained about this issue on behalf of the local people to APMDC, DG of mines safety, DG of factories, and NHRC. Finally they got the benefit result ZERO. Many people have done with their check-up in private hospitals. Health reports of them says—they are affected with silicosis.
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