Ritayan Mukherjee

Sarbajaya Bhattacharya

Editor

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“My lungs
feel like stone. I can barely walk,” says Manik Sardar. 

In November,
2022, the 55-year-old was diagnosed with silicosis – an incurable pulmonary
disease. “I have no interest in the upcoming elections,” he continues, “I am
only worried about my family’s condition.” 

Naba Kumar
Mandal is also a patient of silicosis. He adds, “elections are about false
promises. For us, voting is a routine task. No matter who comes to power,
things will not change for us.”

Manik and
Naba both live in the village of Jhupkhali in Minakhan block of West Bengal
which goes to polls on June 1, in the last phase of the General Elections 2024.

Both men are grappling with failing health and
loss of wages caused by their exposure to silica dust in the factories where
they worked intermittently for one or one and a half years. Compensation eludes
them as most of the ramming mass factories are not registered with the
Directorate of Factories and even those which are, do not issue appointment
letters or ID cards. Many of the factories are, in fact, illegal or semi-legal,
and their workers are not registered.

Despite
the clear and present danger of such work, for almost a decade, between 2000
and 2009, many residents of the North 24 Parganas like Manik and Naba Kumar,
had migrated to work in these factories in search of a better livelihood.
Climate change and falling crop prices meant agriculture, their traditional
source of income, was no longer profitable. 

“We went
there in search of jobs,” says Hara Paik, another resident of Jhupkhali
village, “little did we know we were going to the death zone.”

Workers at
ramming mass units are exposed to fine particles of silica which they
constantly inhale. 

Ramming mass
is the main component in the lining of induction furnaces for melting metal
scraps, non-metallic minerals, ladle and cradle transfer cars and in steel
production. It is also used in manufacturing refractory items like fire bricks.


Here, in these factories, workers are constantly
exposed to silica dust. “I used to sleep in an area near the site. I inhaled
the dust even in my sleep,” says Hara, who spent around 15 months labouring
there. The complete absence of protective gear means that it is only a matter
of time before silicosis sets in.

Since
2009-10, 34 workers from different villages in the Minakhan-Sandeshkhali block
have died prematurely of silicosis after working for nine months to three years
in the ramming mass industry.

As workers
breathe, the silica dust is deposited in the alveolar sacs of the lungs,
gradually stiffening the organ. The first symptoms of silicosis are coughing
and shortness of breath followed by weight loss and a darkening of the skin.
Gradually, chest pain and physical weakness sets in. In later stages, patients
require constant oxygen support. The cause of death among silicosis patients is
usually cardiac arrest due to a lack of oxygen. 

Silicosis is
an irreversible, incurable, and progressive occupational disease, representing
a specific form of pneumoconiosis. Occupational disease expert Dr. Kunal Kumar
Dutta says, “patients with silicosis are 15 times more likely to contract
tuberculosis.” This is known as silico-tuberculosis or silicotic TB.

But such is
the need for work that over the last two decades, there has been a steady
stream of men migrating there in search of work. In 2000, 30-35 labourers from
Goaldaha village went to work in a Kulti-based ramming mass production unit,
almost 300 kilometres away. A couple of years later, farmers living below the
poverty line in villages such as Goaldaha, Debitala, Kharibiaria, and Jaygram
of Minakhan Block went to work in a unit in Duttapukur, Barasat. As did the
farmers of Sundarikhali, Sarbaria, Batidaha, Agarhati, Jeliakhali, Rajbari and
Jhupkhali villages Sandeshkhali Block 1 and 2, in 2005-2006. In that same
period, labourers of these blocks went to a ramming mass production unit in
Jamuria.

“We
manufactured fine powder from quartzite stone using a ball mill [a type of
grinder] and grains like semolina and sugar using a crusher machine,” says Amoy
Sardar, another resident of Jhupkhali. “There was so much dust that you
couldn’t see an arm’s length in front of you. The dust would fall all over me,”
he adds. Amoy was diagnosed with silicosis in November, 2022 after working for
almost two years. He can no longer perform tasks that involve heavy lifting. “I
sought employment to support my family. But the disease got me,” he says.

Migrations were further fuelled by the 2009
severe cyclonic storm Aila that  devastated
agricultural land in the Sunderbans. Youth were especially keen to move out for
jobs, to other parts of the state as well as the country.

Mahananda
Sardar wanted to be a singer, but after cyclone Aila, he went to work in
Jamuria at a ramming mass factory where he developed silicosis. “I still sing kirtans, but I cannot perform at a
stretch because I have breathing issues,” this resident of Jhupkhali says.
After being diagnosed with silicosis, Mahandanda went to Chennai to work at a
construction site. But he was involved in an accident and had to return in May
2023. 

Many patients from Sandeshkhali and Minakhan
block might shift out but continue to work as daily wage earners in other parts
of the state and outside it while struggling with their health.

Early
detection is key to managing the disease. Dr. Kamalesh Sarkar, Director of the
Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Occupational Health
says, “to successfully manage and arrest the disease, it needs to be identified
early. Clara Cell Protein 16 [CC 16], which can be traced from a drop of blood
collected from our fingertips, is a biomarker for various lung diseases
including silicosis.” In a healthy human body, the value of CC16 is 16
nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml), however in silicosis patients, the value
decreases as the disease progresses, eventually reaching zero. 

“The
government should ensure a suitable legislation, making periodic screening with
CC16 test mandatory for the workers of hazardous industries with continuous or
intermittent silica-dust exposure. This will help early detection of
silicosis,” Dr. Sarkar adds.  

“There are no hospitals nearby,” says Rabindra
Haldar, who was diagnosed with silicosis in 2019. The closest block hospital is
in Khulna. To get there, Rabindra, a resident of Jhupkhali, has to take two boat
rides. “There is a Sramajibi Hospital in Sarbaria, but it does not have enough
facilities, he says and adds, “for any serious issue, we have to go to Kolkata.
An ambulance charges between 1,500-2,000 [rupees].”

In his home
in Goaldaha, 50-year-old Md Safiq Molla has been confined to his bed for almost
two years now with severe breathing trouble. “I have lost 20 kgs, I need
constant oxygen support. I am unable to keep roja,” he says. “I am worried about my family. What will happen to
them when I am gone?”

In February
2021, the family received a compensation of Rs. 2 lakhs from the state
government. “Mr. Samit Kumar Carr filed a case on our behalf,” says Taslima Bibi, Safiq’s wife. But the money soon ran out. “We spent it on maintaining
this house and our eldest daughter’s wedding,” Taslima explains.

Samit Kumar
Carr of Occupational Safety &amp; Health Association of Jharkhand (OSHAJ India), has been fighting for the rights of silicosis affected workers in
Jharkhand and West Bengal for over two decades, filing complaints on their
behalf for social security and monetary compensation.  

OSHAJ India
has helped the families of 23 workers who died of silicosis in West Bengal
between 2019–2023 in receiving compensation of Rs. 4 lakhs each as well as 30
silicosis-affected workers receiving Rs. 2 lakhs each. In addition, Rs. 10
crore has been sanctioned by the state government for pension and welfare
schemes.

“According to the Factory Act, 1948, factories
that produce ramming mass and silica powder are classified as an organised
industry since more than 10 workers work with electricity. So, all
factory-related labour rules and regulations apply,” says Samit. The factories
also fall under the Employee’s State Insurance Act 1948, and the Workmen
(Employees) Compensation Act 1923. Being a notifiable disease mentioned in the
Factories Act means that if a doctor diagnoses a patient with silicosis, they
have to inform the Chief Inspector of Factories.

At a
workshop organised by OSHAJ India in Kolkata on March 31, 2024, a panel of
experts crucially identified that as opposed to the general belief that
silicosis occurs only through long-term exposure, short-term inhalation can
lead to the disease as well. This is evident in the silicosis patients of the
North 24 parganas who worked in ramming mass industries. Any duration of
exposure, the panel said, could lead to the formation of fibrous tissues around
the dust particles, impeding the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide and
causing breathing problems. 

Silicosis,
Carr goes on to explain, is also an occupational disease for which workers are
entitled to compensation. But most of the workers are not registered. The
responsibility of identifying factories where workers are afflicted with
silicosis lies with the government. In its Relief and Rehabilitation policy
(Clause 11.4), the West Bengal government has said that workers may seek
compensation from employers irrespective of the statute. 

But the reality
is somewhat different, Carr says. “I’ve observed on multiple occasions that the
administration refuses to put silicosis as a cause of death on the death
certificate,” he adds. And before that, factories fire the workers when they
fall sick.

When Anita
Mandal’s husband Subarna died from silicosis in May 2017, the death certificate
issued by Nil Ratan Sircar Hospital in Kolkata mentioned “liver cirrhosis and
infectious peritonitis” as the cause of death. Subarna used to work at the
ramming mass factory in Jamuria.

“My husband
never had liver disease,” Anita says, “he was diagnosed with silicosis.” Anita,
a resident of Jhupkhali, works as an agricultural labourer and her son has
become a migrant labourer, working mostly at construction sites in Kolkata and
Diamond Harbour. “I had no idea what they had written in the death certificate.
I was devastated at the time. And how can I understand legal terms? I am a
simple village housewife,” Anita says.

With their combined income, Anita and her son
are supporting her daughter’s higher education. She too is apathetic about the
elections. “Two elections have happened in the last seven years. But I still
live in misery. Tell me, why should I be interested?” she asks.

‘I inhaled the dust even in my sleep’

’نیند میں بھی سلیکا کے ذرات ناک میں گھُس جاتے تھے‘

‘నిద్రలో కూడా నేను దుమ్మును పీల్చాను’

‘தூக்கத்தில் கூட தூசைதான் சுவாசித்தேன்’

'ਸੁੱਤਿਆਂ ਵੀ ਮੈਂ ਹਵਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਤੈਰਦੀ ਸਿਲਿਕਾ ਧੂੜ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੀ ਸਾਹ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ'

‘ମୁଁ ନିଦରେ ବି ଶ୍ୱାସ ବାଟେ ଧୂଳି ଭିତରକୁ ଟାଣିନିଏ’

‘ഉറക്കത്തിൽ‌പ്പോലും ഞാൻ സിലിക്കപ്പൊടി ശ്വസിച്ചു’

'ನಾನು ನಿದ್ರೆಯಲ್ಲೂ [ಸಿಲಿಕಾ] ಧೂಳು ಉಸಿರಾಡಿದ್ದೆ'

‘मैं नींद में भी सिलिका की धूल फांकता था’

‘ઊંઘમાં પણ ઝેરી સિલિકાથી છુટકારો ન હતો'

‘सुतत-सुतत घलो सांस मं धुर्रा’

‘सुतलो में गरदा सांस में जात रहेला’

‘টোপনিতো মই ধূলিকণা উশাহত লৈছিলো’

‘ঘুমের মধ্যেও নাকে ঢুকতো ধুলো’

North 24 Parganas

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‘I inhaled the dust even in my sleep’

Migrant workers from Sandeshkhali and Minakhan blocks of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal had gone to work in ramming mass units in other parts of the state. Within a few years, they returned, diagnosed with silicosis. The General Elections 2024, they say, will change nothing for them

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