By IANS,
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday asked the central government to state its position on the export of the endosulfan insecticide stocks lying in production units.
The court was hearing a plea seeking a complete ban on production, sale, distribution and use of the farm insecticide blamed for causing ailments in humans.
An apex court bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice Swatanter Kumar said: “On Friday we will hear (the centre) and pass the order.”
The court’s direction to the centre came after the joint expert committee (JEC) set up by it said that the “manufacturers and formulators have export orders of 1,734 MT of endosulfan technical and 292.5 KL of formulation. Hence, these amounts can be exported.”
The JEC report said that “export can be made to all countries where the use of endosulfan is still permitted” and the “the conditions for the export of endosulfan are as per the current registration for export under the Insecticide Act, 1968”.
Appearing for the endosulfan manufacturers, senior counsel Harish Salve opposed the plea for a week’s time to go through the JEC report as the same was given to other parties to dispute, including petitioner Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) – the CPI-M’s youth wing – two days ago.
Salve said that every day mattered to the industry as it had export commitments which had to be honoured by December. He said that the ban on exports was denting India’s share in the global endosulfan market.
Appearing for the centre, Additional Solicitor General Gourab Banerji told the court that there could be a ban on the production, sale and distribution of endosulfan within the country but there had to be a substitute insecticide to take its place.
Banerji said that there had to be a balance between the concern for the environment and the requirements of agriculture in the country.