Introduction
The Supreme Court’s Committee on Hazardous Waste met in Mumbai on 6th January, 2006 to decide on what to do with the asbestos laden French aircraft carrier Le Clemenceau. There is a dispute over how much is there: the French government says 50 tonnes, environmental groups say 300 tonnes. It will help if the committee addresses the more serious issue: the nearly 1.5 lakh tonnes of asbestos that come into India each year.

Asbestos is one of the ten non-fuel and non-atomic minerals for which permission of the Central Government is required for grant of mining lease as per a press release of Ministry of Mines & Minerals dated February 7, 2004. Grant of fresh mining leases and renewal of existing mining leases for asbestos are presently banned in India on health grounds. The lease of most of the pre-existing mines would expire in February 2005 and they would most likely be not renewed further.

In December 2003 the Minister for Mines informed the Parliament, “Asbestos is being mined in the areas already held under mining lease. In view of the hazardous effect of asbestos mining on health, the Government has decided not to grant any new lease for mining of asbestos and minerals found along with asbestos. It does not renew the existing mining leases of asbestos. The import of asbestos is mainly being allowed as domestic production of asbestos, particularly chrysotile (white) asbestos which is meager to meet demand of manufacturing units of asbestos cement sheets, asbestos pressure pipes, asbestos cloth, brake lining etc. Domestically available amphibolite asbestos is not suitable for the above said purposes and it finds application mostly in thermal insulation and treatment of acids.”

The Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC) under the Ministry of Commerce for export and import of Minerals and Metals is India’s largest seller of imported Industrial Raw Materials like Asbestos and its products. MMTC Limited is a pre-eminent dynamic corporate entity, leading at the helm of India’s International trade. It is the first Public Sector Undertaking to be awarded Golden Superstar Trading House status. It posted an exceptionally remarkable business turnover exceeding Rs.10, 000 crores during Financial Year 2004.

The multi million dollar question is why does India continue to allow the import of asbestos even though it has banned its mining. There are 100, 000 workers directly exposed and 3000, 0000 construction workers are being subjected to asbestos dust on a day-to-day basis.

While the developed world is drastically reducing the manufacture and use of Asbestos, in India it is being promoted indiscriminately by stating that “controlled use” of Asbestos is absolutely “safe”. The two end uses the sheets & pipes that are the largest uses in India are totally stopped in the U.S.

The world has known of the dangers of asbestos for decades now but this silent killer continues to kill millions and ruin the lives of millions more, while the asbestos industry keeps raking in profits, with the connivance of callous governments and spurred on by a largely impotent media.

Asbestos poses such an immediate and significant threat for two main reasons: it is used on a large scale in many consumer products and secondly, it has the potential to affect everyone from the individual involved in mining it to the ultimate consumer of asbestos-containing products. It remains dangerous throughout its lifecycle.

It is used mainly for water pipes or as roofing sheets in the construction industry. It is also used in the manufacture of pressure and non pressure pipes used for water supply, sewage, irrigation and drainage system in urban and rural areas, asbestos textiles, laminated products, tape, gland packing, packing ropes, brake lining and jointing used in core sector industries such as automobile, heavy equipment, petro-chemicals, nuclear power plants, fertilizers, thermal power plants, transportation, defence etc.

On 7th May, 2003 Miss Mabel Rebello, member of parliament in the Upper House had presented a petition signed by S.S. Chouhan, General Secretary, Indian National Building Construction Workers Federation (INBCWF), New Delhi and two others regarding need for the legislative measures to improve the conditions of unorganized workers/construction workers/migrant labourers and to ban use of asbestos and close asbestos mines and factories and destroy all existing asbestos in the Parliament House.

Goa State seems to be on the right track. "No low-income housing group structures should be covered by asbestos sheets as they are highly carcinogenic and harmful to the residents. The previous government's short-sightedness should not be repeated," says Matanhy Saldanha, MLA from the United Goan Democratic Party, a part of the Goa's ruling coalition.

Manufacturers in India insist asbestos is not a health hazard despite growing global evidence to the contrary. Several advertorials from the Chrysotile Asbestos Cement Products Manufacturers’ Association (CACPMA), an association of 14 large manufacturers informed the public that chrysotile asbestos does not cause cancer.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has categorically said, “there is practically no safe level of exposure or use of asbestos against cancer”.

Asbestos and asbestos based industries are one of the 64 types of polluting industries/industrial ctivities, which are classified as "Red Category" industries on the basis of their emissions/discharges of high/significant polluting potential or generating hazardous wastes according to Parivesh, a Newsletter of the Central Pollution Control Board (India).

According to a Press Release of Ministry of Environment and Forests dated February 07, 2004, “Asbestos rules have been modified providing for most stringent emission norms.”

The Minister of Finance, P. Chidambaram opened his Budget speech on July 8, 2004 by spelling out objectives such as universal access to quality basic education and health; focus on agriculture and infrastructure. But feigning ignorance about the massive health hazard and the death toll from asbestos related diseases, he proposed that the customs duties on refractory raw minerals and mineral products like asbestos, to be reduced to 15 per cent. India imports only chrysotile (white asbestos). The budget ignored both global and national movement demanding a ban on import and use of white asbestos, which is leading to the death of thousands annually in India.

Analysing and critiquing the Budget for 2004-05 Prof. Arun Kumar, Department of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University observed, “Asbestos and its use needs to be banned in India. In the interim, the import duties need to be raised to the 1991 levels to reduce the imports and consumption.”

The Indian asbestos cement products industry has 14 major players, with an estimated production of 14.60 lakh metric tonnes and sales of 14.05 lakh metric tonnes in 2001-02, which represents 80 per cent of installed capacity. About three-fourths of India’s asbestos is imported, mainly from Canada. In 1995, Canada exported 5,09,575 metric tonnes (mt) of chrysotile, of which 42,936 mt came to India, making it the fourth biggest consumer of Canadian asbestos. There are some 673 small-scale asbestos factories in India.

Visaka Industries
The major asbestos players formed Chrysotile Asbestos Cement Products Manufacturers Association (CCPMA) six years ago. It comprises of. Visaka Industries among others. G. Vivekanand is the Managing Director of Visaka Industries and is also the Chairman of CCPMA. Vivekanand is the son of G Venkata Swamy, former Union Textile Minister. Venkata Swamy was in the race for the chief ministership of Andhra Pradesh. His another son G. Vinod is the Labour and Employment Minister in the Andhra Pradesh State Government. Venkata Swamy is the Deputy Leader of the ruling Congress Party in the Lok Sabha.

The company, Visaka Industries came into effect in the year 1981 under the Indian Companies Act, 1956 bearing the name Visaka Asbestos Cements Products Limited. The main objective of the company is to manufacture asbestos cement sheets, pressure pipes and accessories. The company in early infancy was a joint promotion of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (APIDC) and a band of energetic entrepreneurs Dr G Vivekanand, Mr G Vinod and Mrs G V Kalavathi (their mother), its first venture was manufacture of Fibre Building Products. As on now the APIDC has divested its entire stake. Its production declined in 1989 due to strike by workers for nearly five and half months. Towards the manufacture of Building Products, the company gets raw materials in the form of Asbestos Fibre and Cement; the former is imported from Lab Crysotile INC., of Canada and Sama Fibres of Brazil. And the latter one is got from within the nation, that is, from companies like India Cements Ltd, Orient Cement and Rajashree Cements. The company has entered into an agreement with M/s. Marubeni Corporation of Japan to buy back 25% of the production for export.

It has renamed itself as Visaka Industries Ltd from 9th August 1998. The new name bearing much more impressive stamp enabled the company to diversify the company into another product category – Synthetic blended yarn. V Pattabhi is on the Board of Directors of Director. He has been appointed as Additional Director of the Company from June 18, 2003.

The company's activities are organized into two operating division namely, Cement Asbestos and Textile-Synthetic Yarn. The segments are the basis on which the company reports its primary segment information. The Cement Asbestos Products division products asbestos sheets and accessories are used mostly as roofing material. Synthetic Yam division manufactures yarn out of blends of polyester, viscose, and other materials, which go into the weaving of fabric.

It has set up a plant in Bengal in 2003 and on January 16, 2004 it has decided to expand its capacity by 50% at the Nagpur Spinning Unit at a cost of Rs. 320 million.

Visaka Industries Limited, reported a net income of US$10,599,890 for the quarter ending September 30, 2004, an increase of 25% on the previous quarter's results. The company's new asbestos plant in Tumkur, Karnatak will begin operations in April, 2005.

BANI has plans to conduct a survey of Yelumala Village, R C Puram in Medak District of Andhra Pradesh where Visaka factory is located to get sense of the toll asbestos exposure has taken.

Everest Industries (formerly Eternit Everest), has a 16% share of the domestic market for asbestos-cement sheeting; the vast majority of its output (80%) is used for rural low-cost housing and industrial structures. Although growth in this sector is predicted to continue, Everest is hedging its bets and now produces non-asbestos building boards for use in false ceilings, panelling, doors and prefabricated structures; sales of these have increased by 44% during 2004.

Hyderabad Industries Limited
Under the provisions of the Import and Export Policy of the Government of India the Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC) is designated as a canalising agent for import of raw asbestos from foreign Countries. The MMTC imports the raw asbestos in bulk purchasing the same from the foreign sellers. It then enters into sale agreement on what is known as high seas sales basis with the various users of raw asbestos.

To cater to the needs of the users of raw asbestos, the MMTC calls for global tender and after identifying foreign supplier it purchases the raw asbestos in bulk which is sold in high seas sales to various users of raw asbestos for which the MMTC charges apart from the sale consideration paid by it to the foreign buyer an additional sum as service charges. It is an admitted fact that there is no relationship of a principal and an agent between the purchaser like the appellant and the MMTC. The MMTC admittedly does not buy the raw asbestos for and on behalf of any particular consumer of raw asbestos in India. On the contrary, it makes a bulk purchase to cater the needs of various consumers of the raw asbestos in India and it is only after the goods are sold on the basis of high seas sales, the goods become the property of the purchasers like the Hyderabad Industries Limited.

By virtue of the high seas sales through which the appellant purchased the raw asbestos from the MMTC, it has derived the benefit of avoiding the payment of sales tax on these goods. These facts are sufficient to reject the contention of the appellant raised on the basis of unreasonableness of the levy.

The entire requirement of raw material, chrysotile, about 1.10 lakh tonnes, is being imported every year mainly from Canada, Brazil, Zimbabwe, and Russia to make asbestos cement sheets in 42 factories in India. The sector as such employs between 30,000 and 40,000 workers. There is market of 14 lakh tonnes per annum asbestos sheet.

Continuing the ill-advised policies of the previous government, reducing the customs duties on asbestos is going to have disastrous consequences for heath. Earlier the asbestos industry through its influence within the power corridors of the Indian political system had managed to bring down the import duty on asbestos from 110 per cent in 1992 to 50 per cent, thus reducing total import cost by 25-30 per cent.

India has also been reducing the customs duty on asbestos fibre in recent years (from 78 per cent in 1995-96 to 25 per cent in 1999-2000. Fifty per cent of the sales of asbestos cement are in the rural sector and 30 and 20 per cent in the industrial and urban sectors respectively. However, its affordability is due in part to favourable government policies. Such incentives are spurring the asbestos industry to expand.

India faces a massive and completely preventable epidemic of early, painful death and suffering caused by white asbestos.

CERC Vs Union of India (1995)
The Supreme Court has established the effects of asbestos and the risk beyond the workplace in the Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) Vs Union of India case.

According to report of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, the court has in this case, held that the Right to Health is a fundamental right.

The six Supreme Court directions in the CERC case are:

a. Maintaining health records of all the workers for forty years,

b. Membrane filter test at the work place at all stages,

c. Insure health coverage with Employees’ State Insurance Act or otherwise,

d. Review of permissible exposure limit,

e. Protect health hazards of small-scale factories and

f. Compensation to the affected of rupees one lakh.

The Court held as under:

“It would thus be clear that disease (related to asbestos) occurs wherever the exposure to the toxic or carcinogenic agent occurs, regardless of the country, the type of industry, job title, job assignment, or location of exposure. The disease will follow the trail of the exposure, and extend the chain of carcinogenic risk beyond the workplace. It is the exposure and the nature of that exposure to asbestos that determines the risk and the disease, which subsequently result. The development of the carcinogenic risk due to asbestos or any other carcinogenic agent, does not require a continuous exposure. The cancer risk does not cease when the exposure to the carcinogenic agent ceases, but rather the individual carries the increased risk for the remaining years of life”.

Unfortunately, despite apex court’s order of 1995, victims continue to suffer in anonymity after this. It was expected that the India Government would take stringent measures to curb the menace but actually no action was taken and according to the statistics the consumption has increased after the judgment and the number of production units increased and so also the hazards and deaths.

Currently the health record of workers is generally not being maintained. The number of workers is shown on contract basis and the duty of keeping record is shifted to the contractor who does not keep records.

In a handful of companies, the Membrane Filter test to detect asbestos fibre is done. Others more than three hundred units the practice is known, neither to the owner nor to the workers.

There has not been any serious move so far to consider inclusion of such of those small-scale factory or factories or industries to protect health hazards of the worker engaged in the manufacture of asbestos or its ancillary products.

The compensation amount is very low. The legal expense, if necessary to get compensation is so high that workers prefer to get a Rs.10, 000 ($ 218) cash help from the owner and provide a job to a relative to replace him in the same factory in the same atmosphere.

On 12 July 2004, the apex court has one again issued notices to the Government of India and the States on a public interest litigation that seeks a ban on the import manufacture and use of asbestos due its carcinogenic effect. Unmindful of court’s notices the Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines, Dr. Dasari Narayana Rao informed the 38th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries that India continues to import of high value minerals like asbestos.

Victims Plight
Due to ignorance of common people and especially the asbestos industry workers the asbestos related diseases are spreading fast. According to one of the recent issues International Journal on Occupational and Environmental Health the estimates by the Chennai based The Cancer Research Institute suggesting that 3-4 % of all lung cancers in India are asbestos –related.

Thirty 30 deaths are caused per day from asbestos-related diseases as per estimates based on US and European studies. White asbestos continues to be in use in India although other kinds such as blue and brown asbestos are banned. Asbestos is being promoted freely whereas the developed countries keep away from it. Successive governments in India have promoted this killer mineral fiber against public health.

In India, too, studies by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), an Ahmedabad-based autonomous government scientific body, have found lung impairment and radiological abnormalities in asbestos milling workers (54.8 per cent) and miners (19.5 per cent). The workplace asbestos fibre concentration in milling facilities was found to be 33 times higher than the Indian standard for chrysotile asbestos of 2 f/cm3. Besides, mesothelioma, a cancer of the thin membrane enclosing the lungs, which is caused by asbestos exposure, has been reported in India.

Indian researchers have reported numerous instances of high exposure levels to asbestos fibres in the workplace, which indicates a potential epidemic-like situation of asbestos-related diseases in the coming years. But due to the lack of a sophisticated mortality and morbidity data collection system, it has been difficult to comprehensively illustrate the prevalence and incidence rates of asbestosis, mesothelioma and other asbestos related illness in India. But surely lack of data does not prove that the danger does not exist. The Indian asbestos industry uses this as an excuse to continue and promote its dangerous operations. This is evident from the fact that through its influence within the power corridors of the Indian political system, it has managed to bring down the import duty on asbestos from 110 per cent in 1992 to 50 per cent, thus reducing total import cost by 25-30 per cent.

A scientific paper titled ‘Carcinogenicity of asbestos: Convincing evidence, conflicting interests’states, “A look at the history of corporate activities in asbestos-related research reveals a disturbing trend. Information that was made available, through legal interventions, clearly shows how for half a century the asbestos industry in collaboration with some academic leaders of occupational medicine successfully suppressed evidence against asbestos.”

On August 18, 2003, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs Sushma Swaraj said in the Upper House: "Studies by the National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, have shown that long-term exposure to any type of asbestos can lead to the development of asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma." Although this clearly implies that white asbestos is hazardous and a health hazard, Indian government representatives, astonishingly, objected to the extension of prior-informed consent to cover white asbestos as a material subject to trade control at the Rotterdam Prior Informed Consent Convention in Geneva in November 2003 and September 2004.

It has been revealed during surveys and studies that:
(i) Most of the workers were suffering from asbestos related diseases like Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, and Lung Cancer.
(ii) No health records had been kept over the years.
(iii) If any worker was found to suffer from any of the diseases, he was either discharged from service with small cash compensation or his health record is manipulated to show him as a healthy person.

It has also been noted that every year asbestos factories in India engage migratory labourers in their units may be intentionally. It is very difficult to either keep a track or identify such labourers. Considering the long latency period asbestos diseases takes to kill or handicap a person the fate of such workers can be well imagined.

The scientists and physicians of the world are very much concerned about the growing use of asbestos and ship breaking industry in India. Nearly half of all ships scrapped worldwide are broken down in India. Each ship contains about 7.5 metric tonne of Asbestos, which is resold to manufacturers in India, which contains all types of Asbestos. In every national and international Conference on Asbestos conditions prevailing in India is discussed.

As per the Economic Times Special feature dated 4/11/2003, around 30,000 workers are directly employed in Asbestos factories and over 100000 workers are involved indirectly. In the aforementioned asbestos case the number of workers shown were 10,000. The Court should ask the manufacturers to produce medical record of all the 30,000 workers for the last 20 years. The special feature appeared in many prime news papers providing same misinformation.

The asbestos manufacturers are even openly advertising in newspapers, magazines, and journals, with the financial help from Canadian Asbestos fibre exporters declaring Chrysotile Asbestos to be safe. How the Union of India are allowing a class 1 carcinogen to be declared safe through advertisements is another question the petitioners would like to put to across. Indian businesspersons, who mislead, go scot-free so they do not stop their business.

Due to such advertisements it gives wrong damaging information and propaganda about their safety. The situation has become very alarming. The workers are not even aware that strict precautions are to be taken to avoid hazardous effects of Chrysotile asbestos. It is because of this ignorance that the workers suffer from deadly asbestosis and are not even aware of their medical condition. In the handful of organization where medical examination is undertaken the workers are not told why their check-up is being done and the result of the check up are not revealed to him about his own health. It is further made sure by the manufacturer or the employer that such information is not made known to the Labour Union or authorities.

Deliberate business decisions, not technical difficulties, are the cause of today’s continued high usage of asbestos in India. The politics of phasing out asbestos are made more difficult. A lesson might be learned by observing that the world’s largest exporter of chrysotile asbestos, Canada, consumes only 1 percent of the asbestos it mines. Canadian construction workers would not work with Asbestos Cement construction materials, and so these products are not made at all in Canada

It is important to note that foreign asbestos Companies in India selling out due to fear of compensation cases in other countries by Indian victims. All the foreign Co.’s (Johns Manville, Turner & Newwall and Eternite), which were operating in India have withdrawn and sold their interests to Indian companies. More than 60 multinational companies in USA alone have become bankrupt because of Asbestos claims, therefore every company has made efforts to go out of the Asbestos business. The foreign companies are afraid of compensation claims from Indian victims in the countries of their origin. However Indian companies seem to be unconcerned and are increasing their production. They are buying the foreign interests in India.

Status in Indian States
The projects of expansion of asbestos based friction material manufacturing unit in Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu were accorded environmental clearance on March 5, 2003 and setting up of asbestos cement roofing sheets and accessories manufacturing unit in Midnapore district of West Bengal. Rajasthan has rich deposits of asbestos. Andhra Pradesh has the largest deposits of quality chrysolite asbestos in the country. A large number of mineral based plants like asbestos products are located in various parts of Maharasthra informed Minister of State for Coal & Mines, Dr. Dasari Narayana Rao in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on August 25, 2004.

Regime Changes but Order Remains Same
After the Bhartiya Janta Party led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lost in the election, Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is now the ruling alliance. Although the promise of better health to citizens was made asbestos trade continues irrespective of the change in the regime.

Continuing the ill-advised policies of the previous governments, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has reduced the customs duties on asbestos. This is going to have disastrous consequences for heath. Earlier the asbestos industry through its influence within the power corridors of the Indian political system had managed to bring down the import duty on asbestos from 110 per cent in 1992 to 50 percent, thus reducing total import cost by 25-30 per cent. India has also been reducing the customs duty on asbestos fibre in recent years (from 78 per cent in 1995-96 to 25 percent in 1999-2000. Fifty per cent of the sales of asbestos cement are in the rural sector and 30 and 20 per cent in the industrial and urban sectors respectively. However, its affordability is due in part to favourable government policies. Such incentives are spurring the asbestos industry to expand.

On the one hand, the UPA government’s Common Minimum Programme states that it "is firmly committed to ensure the welfare and well-being of all workers, particularly those in the unorganised sector who constitute 93% of our workforce". On the other hand, the Union Ministry of Mines plans to lift the ban on asbestos fiber’s mining and Commerce Ministry continues to support the import and manufacture of asbestos.

International Law
The international law on right to health of citizens has emerged. Import of asbestos waste is banned in India as a consequence of Basel Convention through Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2003. It states that Hazardous Wastes Prohibited for Import and Export Basel* no. includes Waste Asbestos (Dust and Fibres).

As per a discussion regarding regulation of imports of asbestos and its products at the Indian Commerce Ministry, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) explained the origin of the problem and issues, which are involved with regard to the imposing restriction on import of asbestos. It said the origin of the problem was the upholding of the French decree prohibiting manufacture, processing, sale and import of asbestos.

In the most recent times, the concerned ministries have been briefed by the industrial houses that since Rotterdam Convention does not mean ban on asbestos, there is no harm in signing and ratifying it since they cannot afford to stand in isolation on the issue of Prior Informed Consent for trade control on asbestos.

National Resolution for Asbestos Workers Safety
Acknowledging the asbestos epidemic on the horizon in India, the Trade Unions have resolved to work for the safety of the asbestos workers. Thirty deaths are estimated to be caused per day in India from asbestos-related diseases as per estimates based on US and European studies. White asbestos is used in India although other kinds such as blue and brown asbestos are banned. Around 40 countries have imposed a complete ban on asbestos in all forms and types.

White asbestos is used mainly for water pipes or as roofing sheets in the construction industry. It is also used in the manufacture of pressure and non pressure pipes used for water supply, sewage, irrigation and drainage system in urban and rural areas, asbestos textiles, brake lining and jointing used in core sector industries such as automobile, heavy equipment, petro-chemicals, nuclear power plants, fertilizers, thermal power plants, transportation, defence etc.

Ignoring thé Beijing Declaration of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), a "forum for social security institutions throughout the world." on Asbestos seeking ban the manufacture, trade and use of all types of asbestos and asbestos-containing products as soon as possible, Indian Government once again opposed the inclusion of white asbestos in the international Prior Informed Consent (PIC) list of chemicals under the United Nations (UN) Rotterdam Convention on 18-20 September 2004 in Geneva. Under the Convention, such substances can only be exported form one country to another with the permission of the government of the importing state. Even developing nations like Uruguay and Honduras that recently imposed a ban, are waking up to the threat. This happened despite the fact that white asbestos, which represents some 94 percent of world consumption, meets all the requirements for it being listed.

The Indian government's stance at Geneva where UN held its meeting went against the interests of Indian workers and citizens. It ignored the appeal of the Citizen Forum, trade unions, and environment and health groups to support the UN ban on the import of white asbestos. Indian Health Minister has acknowledged in the Parliament on 18 August, 2003 that asbestos exposure causes cancer.

Just prior to the September 2004 meeting of the United Nations Committee, environmental health groups and trade unions from India, US, Japan and Canada called for a ban on all activities relating to mining, manufacture, use and trade in asbestos. At an International Conference on Asbestos Exposure organised in September 2004 by Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, several experts warned of an epidemic of asbestos related diseases in India.

In the backdrop of these developments Trade Unions in India are convinced that the concern of the countries, which have banned asbestos are also relevant to India. They acknowledge that both blue and white asbestos are cancer causing and there is no cure for diseases caused due to asbestos exposure. The most vulnerable and affected people are the workers in asbestos manufacturing units and construction industry who work under extremely hazardous conditions.

Convinced with the incontrovertible global and national medical evidence against asbestos in general and white asbestos in particular as it being fatal for workers and common citizens due to exposure, the trade unions have resolved to seek immediate phase out of this killer fiber and substitution with safer alternatives.
Available Alternative Solution
In any case the moot point is how to provide substitutes of asbestos, rehabilitation package and alternative employment for workers. There are many long-established alternatives to chrysotile which do not rely on fibre technology. For example, steel sheeting can be used instead of asbestos cement sheets. Several types of non-asbestos fibres developed for use in a wide range of products can also be substituted for asbestos. The main non-asbestos fibres in current use are PVA, aramid and cellulose. A considered scientific view on their safety has recently become available. There is an urgent need to set up a Mesothelioma Register to take stock of asbestos victims.
With developed nations banning and phasing out asbestos, developing countries like India have become the dumping ground of asbestos from countries like Russia and Canada. The Ministry of Agriculture is sponsoring the Central Building Research Institute’s (CBRI) research into alternative vegetable fibres and wastes as reinforcements for fibre-cements. The CBRI has developed roofing tiles and blocks using coir fibre and cement. These can also be used in place of asbestos by developing cement-building materials incorporating by-products of oilseeds, pulses and maize.

Need for Policy Watch
Citizens of the India wonder why is Indian Government is safeguarding foreign corporate interests instead of Indian health. Policymakers must draw a distinction between personal idiosyncrasy and incorporation of new economic and social policies in the face of indisputable medical evidence against white asbestos.

The rampant violation of the citizens and workers right to healthy life and natural justice requires a vigilant citizens network as opposed to fund agency driven initiative. It is urgently needed to investigate as to why the Indian policymakers have sold themselves to the ideology of the asbestos exporters undermining democratic rights of its citizens and bring the truth about it public domain.

Conclusion
It is high time import of asbestos and asbestos usage is banned in India and legal proceedings including criminal prosecutions of all those responsible including the factory owners, promoters, organisations and associations, for the infringement of the right to healthy life of asbestos victims is initiated.

Another version of this paper was presented at Global Asbestos Congress, Tokyo