The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has show caused the District Magistrate of West Burdwan, S Ponnamballam and directed him to submit an action taken report (ATR) within 21 July in connection with a silicosis death case in Salanpur block.
Allegedly, one worker of a stone crushing factory in Salanpur, Jagannath Roy (30) had died on 2024 due to silicosis. As silicosis was not mentioned as the cause of his death in the certificate, his family is not entitled to the government benefits.
Amarnath Mahato, a local school teacher, who had brought to light the silicosis death cases in villages surrounding the stone quarries in Salanpur for the first time by lodging the first complaint in 2024 to NHRC, once again lodged a fresh complaint. Subol Roy of Barabhui village in Salanpur was the last official victim of silicosis death.
After the first show cause notice in 2024 by the NHRC, the West Burdwan district administration and West Bengal Pollution Control Board, CMOH held screening camps, health boards and sudden checks in the factories and started giving medical and government aids to the dead victims’ family members. But there was no mention of the death of Jagannath Roy.
“Despite the WBPCB visits to these stone and quartz crushing factories in Dendua, Salanpur and Kalyaneswari areas, under Salanpur Block of Asansol Sadar Division, the business continues and more and more people are suffering. Hence a fresh petition was lodged as I suspected that during the previous state government regime many victims’ families have been denied government financial assistances like lifelong pension because the health department had not issued proper death certificates,” alleged Amarnath Mahato.
This time the NHRC has also tagged Nabanna in the fresh show cause notice and action taken report sought. Amarnath Mahato of Ramdhi village in Salanpur had lodged the first complaint on 31 August alleging that one Jagananth Roy, a suspected silicosis patient had been treated as TB patient and underwent DOTS full course in Asansol District Hospital and after suffering for almost a year, he died.
NHRC has directed to set up District Task Force to monitor and curb silicosis cases in West Burdwan district. From January 2024 to December 2025, a total of 56 Silicosis Detection Camps were set up by the CMOH of West Burdwan, covering 967 persons, out of whom 252 were identified as presumptive silicosis patients. Out of them 12 people were declared as silicosis patients by the medical board.