Trade unions, human rights activists and workers have called upon the Indian and Canadian governments to halt the trade in white asbestos. The protestors gathered under the aegis of Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) urged the governments to address the safety concerns of workers using asbestos.
A letter was also sent to PM asking him to immediately ban Asbestos and ensure passage of the White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill 2009 pending in Parliament.
At the press conference today speakers from several trade unions called upon PM and Mr. Charest visiting premier (chief minister) of Quebec to stand up to the asbestos companies and ban it. The Canadians were asked to stop shipping chrysotile asbestos to India when their own government was spending millions to remove chrysotile asbestos from Quebec's schools, hospitals and buildings.
