Man who fought for silicosis patients retires from Rajasthan rights panel

MK Devarajan retires on August 31 as member of the Rajasthan state human rights commission. During his stint, he has relentlessly pursued the matter of detection of silicosis, prevention of this disease and proper relief for those already afflicted. He talks with Rosamma Thomas.
You have been at the forefront of organizing relief for the silicosis afflicted in the state.At least 5,307 people have been identified with the disease in the past four years. Your estimate of the numbers affected is upwards of a lakh. What is the basis of this estimate?
I doubt any other state witnesses mining of sandstone, quartz and granite, all three of which can cause silicosis, in the scale that occurs in Rajasthan. There are also several units processing these stones, and more than 2,000 of stone crushers, besides those operating illegally. It’s not just workers. Even people in the vicinity of crushers are exposed to the fine dust containing free silica. Sandstone is used for making statues, pillars and other carved items. Workers in such units can develop silicosis much faster than mine workers. We have nearly 4,000 mineral grinding plants, many manufacturing quartz powder. The proportion of sandstone in construction in the state is higher because of easier availability and cost considerations. Workers in construction too thus run a high risk of silicosis. Gem cutting and polishing also can expose workers to silica. Most units are small and in the unorganized sector, operating without the necessary regulatory mechanisms. That is why I expect that the number of silicosis cases will run into several lakhs. Besides, these 5,000 cases were all detected since 2013.
Why are the cases detected so far then so low?
Though district-level Pneumoconiosis Boards were ordered to be set up in December 2014, they have only just started becoming functional. So far, not even a single ILO plate (which offer results in accordance with standards set by International Labour Organization for chest x-rays) for detection of silicosis has been purchased by the state government. No government doctor is trained in the use of these plates. That is why even though a patient might be diagnosed with silicosis by an apex institute like National Institute of Miners’ Safety, Nagpur, our Boards may not offer a certificate, saying the patient has silicosis. Most doctors conducting camps for screening probable patients or even those deployed in the 10 Mobile Medical Units launched 11 months back have no idea about the occupational history likely to cause silicosis. That is why the rate of detection is rather poor, considering the number of patients screened. Most detections so far have been from just two districts – Jodhpur and Karauli. And that is because there are good NGOs active in these areas. I expect that with better and more sophisticated screening and training of doctors, the numbers of those diagnosed with silicosis will go up substantially.
You have remarked that the state and Centre have been passing the buck in the matter of silicosis prevention. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix this?
Unfortunately, this continues despite the intervention of the human rights commission and the high court. Few months ago, the Directorate General of Mines Safety and the Centre filed a reply in the high court saying they are responsible for the enforcement of safety measures only in 5,044 of the 33,000 mines in the state, as the others were not registered with them. This stance was later reversed. This shifting of responsibility has been happening among various departments of the state government too. The RSHRC has recommended a State Level Monitoring Committee headed by the chief secretary and representatives of all departments concerned, both at the Centre and state, to sort out these issues.
Has your experience in the Indian Police Service helped in your work at the human rights commission?
In two ways – major cases of police misbehavior were detected and established during the last five years through my interventions. Without my police background, I doubt I could have done that. Secondly, I am more result- oriented rather than activity-oriented, thanks to my background in policing. That has helped me even in my work in the Commission.
You have underlined the need for greater research. Do you think sufficient research backs the work of the Commission?
If you are referring to research having human rights implications, the answer is a clear ‘No’. If you are referring to research in general that results in improvement in government processes, the answer is ‘perhaps no’. I feel RSHRC should have the wherewithal to conduct research on a variety of subjects that affect human rights, the definition of which is much wider than generally perceived. It could then undertake research and come up with practical and useful suggestions for implementation by the state. Silicosis was almost such a ‘research project’ for me. I got the free assistance of an ‘Expert Group on Silicosis’ that I constituted.