The Chhattisgarh government is considering a proposal to impose restrictions on sale of China-made lights in the state in the wake of September 17 incident in which the glare of Chinese electricity la
The Chhattisgarh government is considering a proposal to impose restrictions on sale of China-made lights in the state in the wake of September 17 incident in which the glare of Chinese electricity lamps had left nearly 405 people in a village temporarily blind.
Taking serious view of the incident, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh told reporters at Raipur on Wednesday that he was weighing options of banning China-made lights in the state following the incident.
“I am thinking of imposing restrictions on sale of China-made lights in Chhattisgarh,” he said.
According to official reports, as many as 405 people, including 160 children and 104 women, residents of Beretera in Balod district in Chhattisgarh, complained of irritation and ache in their eyes after they watched “Nachha” (local folk drama) played on a stage decorated with China made halogen lights on September 17.
They suffered swellings in their eyes and temporary loss of eyesight.
A team of three-member eye surgeons immediately rushed to the village from Raipur to treat them.
“The villagers suffered swellings and irritations in their eyes caused by the glare of the lights. It is called photo retina irritation conjunctivitis in medical term. They have recovered now,” state nodal officer of national programme on control of blindness, Subhash Mishra said.
He, however, said that delay in treatment of the patients would have left them complete blind.
