New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the government on a petition seeking ban on the production, sale and use of the widely-used insecticide endosulfan which has serious health hazards.

 
 The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) - the youth wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist - has also sought direction to the central government to freeze the permit given to manufacturers of endosulfan till the matter was decided by the court. The state governments too have been asked to give their position on the petition seeking ban on endosulfan.
 
 An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, Justice K.S. Panickar Radhakrishnan and Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notice on the petition by DYFI who contended that the pesticide has serious health hazards.
 
 Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide. The colourless solid has emerged as a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity.
 
 According to DYFI, several studies had documented that endosulfan could also affect human growth.
 
 The petitioner said the manufacturers of endosulfan must be directed to pay compensation to the families of people who either died or suffered health complications due to its use.
 
 The DYFI has also sought directions to the government to take steps for appropriate and adequate rehabilitation of the victims. 
 
 The Leftist youth organisation said in its petition that the lives of a large section of people were directly affected because of the use of endosulfan.
 
 "The fact remains that all the developed countries including European Union banned this killer pesticide and most of other nations were not permitting the use of the same," the petition said.
 
 Researchers studying children from an isolated village in Kasargod district in Kerala have linked endosulfan exposure to delay in sexual maturity among boys, it said.