Rural Indians Ride Punjab's "Cancer Train" For Treatment; Pesticide Overuse Suspected, But Uncertain

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The 12-coach train has gained its name from a sudden surge in cancer cases in India's northwest Punjab state that many blame on growing pollution and pesticide use - and an ineffective response by authorities.

Poor patients from across Punjab flock to catch the 9:30pm train to head to the desert city of Bikaner for specialist treatment, arriving early morning after a seven-hour journey. On this occasion, the train's sole reserved compartment, with a capacity of 72, is occupied by 30 cancer patients.

"Earlier, this train used to be known as the 'TB Train' [as tuberculosis patients used to frequent faraway hospitals], but over the past few years it has come to be known as the 'Cancer Express'," said DP Kataria, a conductor on the train for 25 years. Its ticket collector, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, agreed. "This train is meant for cancer patients, on average 60 percent of seats are occupied by the Bikaner-bound patients. Many more patients travel in crammed general compartments as they cannot afford to pay for reservations," he said.

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Mindful of the issue, the Punjab state government has set up water purifiers in hamlets most affected by the disease such as Bhuttiwala - dubbed a "cancer village" - but those are not cleaned properly, residents say. "There has been no comprehensive survey on the prevalence of cancer in Punjab, so there is no concrete data on it," said Dr Pritpal Singh of the Baba Farid Centre for Special Children. "People don't disclose someone in their houses has cancer fearing stigmatisation. So most cases come to the fore when the patient reaches the last stage of cancer." Eight months ago, the Baba Farid Centre conducted a survey in Bhuttiwala village that identified 20 cancer patients, but when Al Jazeera travelled there to meet them, 18 had already died.

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http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/01/cancer-train-india-pesticides-20151411811508148.html