Madhya Pradesh minister supports Kerala CM on Endosulfan ban

Bhopal, April 29: A Madhya Pradesh Minister has backed Kerala Chief Minister VS Achutanandan's demand for a countrywide ban on pesticide Endosulfan.

Madhya Pradesh Minister for Agriculture Dr Ramkrishna Kusmaria has also appealed to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to ban it across the country.

In a letter to the Kerala Chief Minister, Kusmaria has thanked him for taking a ''timely step'' and urging the Centre to ban the controversial pesticide in Kerala.

Achutanandan's one-day fast is a strong gesture to convey his concern, the letter says.

Kusumaria's letter also requests the Centre to ban all toxic chemicals used in farming, reminding that Madhya Pradesh witnessed a disaster when a gas leak from pesticide-making plant of Union Carbide killed thousands of people in Bhopal in December 1984.

PTI