Rights panel summons officials over arsenic in water for schoolchildren

Lucknow: Displeased with the education department and Ballia district administration for not submitting a report on arsenic poisoning in water being supplied to schools, the National Humans Rights Commission has taken action.
It has summoned the principal secretary, education, and the Ballia district magistrate to appear personally before it for a hearing.
Despite an order dated January 27, 2019, and subsequent reminders, the commission has said in its most recent order that it is “pained and takes a serious note of the non-responsive attitude of the principal secretary, department of education, government of Uttar Pradesh and the district magistrate, Ballia” and says that “some strict action is warranted in this case”.The case, filed by Saurabh Singh of Inner Voice Foundation in Varanasi in 2016, pertains to allegations that a high level of arsenic has been found in hand pumps installed in schools across Ballia.
On January 27, 2019, the commission had noted that the complainant had provided details to show how the arsenic situation in schools had become worse over the years.
“In fact, they are helpless and struggling with crisis and do not know what to do. They have shared the reports/letters from school of Varanasi, Ghazipur, Chandauli and Allahabad where arsenic contamination has spread. Government has not been able to tackle the situation in Ballia where contamination was reported first,” the commission had said.
It had asked the DM and principal secretary, education, to submit reports on the complaint but has not yet received anything from either till now. Therefore, under section 13 (a) of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the commission has directed the principal secretary (education) and DM Ballia to appear in person before it on August 14 to file the requisite reports.
It has added that if the reports are submitted before August 7, then their personal appearance will be dispensed with. Singh, who has filed the complaint, said that children exposed to arsenic at a young age would grow up with severe health problems.