JAIPUR | Aug 17, 2016: Bhagwati Mathur, a housewife in Vaishali Nagar, Ajmer, was diagnosed in December, 2012 as suffering from mesothelioma - a lung cancer caused by inhalation of particles found in asbestos mines. Not only mine workers, even others living in the vicinity of these mines are found to be affected. Mesothelioma is a more advanced version of asbestosis, which affects the lungs of those long exposed to dust from asbestos mines.

In a letter of May last year, the district collector of Ajmer explained to Mathur's husband Kanwar Lal Mathur that only mineworkers were entitled to the Rs1 lakh compensation that the government offers those suffering from silicosis. Besides, all those availing this grant must, under the rules, be certified as patients by the Pneumoconiosis Board.

In 1986, after a hearing that exposed the health hazards of asbestos mining, the Supreme Court ruled that mining leases of those asbestos mines in Rajasthan would not be renewed. No fresh leases for asbestos mining would be issued. By 2005, all asbestos mines in the state were shut.

Although asbestosis, under the law, is a notifiable disease and any doctor diagnosing the condition is bound by law to notify the state government, most doctors are not aware of this provision of law. Mine Labourers' Protection Campaign (MLPC), an NGO that has been working with mine workers for over two decades, has records of at least 14 people in Ajmer district suffering from mesothelioma.

In 2013, the state government began to offer financial aid to mineworkers afflicted by silicosis, an incurable lung condition caused by the inhalation of silica found in limestone, quartz and stone grinding sites in the state.

Rs 1 lakh would be given to those certified by the Pneumoconiosis Board as suffering from silicosis. Rs 3 lakh compensation would be offered to the kin of those dying of the disease. Patients of mesothelioma, however, like the district collector explained to Mathur, are not offered this relief.

Dr Neeraj Gupta of the Pneumoconiosis Board at Ajmer district hospital said, "Ever since I joined this Board here one and a half years ago, we have not come across any fresh cases of mesothelioma. We have, however, come across some suspected cases of mesothelioma. The condition is hard to diagnose as there are several cancers that manifest with similar symptoms. We have sent about six samples for biopsy to SMS Hospital, Jaipur. If the results of these are positive, we will issue a certificate to these patients. And it is then up to the government to offer them relief."

Rana Sengupta of MLPC said a meeting of state human rights commission member Dr MK Devarajan with Ajmer district officials was held in September last year. "Measures to publicize the compensation offered to silicosis patients were discussed at that meeting. The issue of those suffering because of asbestos mining also featured. Since doctors at Udaipur had been doing a good job of diagnosing the condition, the district doctors were told to look to them for direction. However, little has been happening to aid patients of asbestosis and mesothelioma. Dr Devarajan had even pointed to officials that if workers approached labour courts, they would be entitled to about Rs20 lakh as compensation."

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)