New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS): The Supreme Court Tuesday permitted the export of 2,698 kilo litres of endosulfan formulation, used for manufacturing the pesticide, lying with different companies.

An apex court bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice Swatanter Kumar said: "We hereby permit the 34 units of manufacturers and formulators (of endosulfan)…to export the existing stock of 2698.05 kl of endosulfan formulation..."

The exports would be subject to conditions specified in its Sep 30 order, the court said.

Cautioning the firms which were manufacturing endosulfan prior to its ban by apex court May 13, the court said: "It is clarified that the permission for dilution should in no way directly or indirectly be treated as permission to manufacture endosulfan formulation in any form whatsoever or increase its quantity."

An expert committee in its report Aug 24 told the court that 12,698.05 kl of endosulfan formulation was lying in stock with different companies.

While permitting the export, the order said that the exports would be channelised through public sector undertaking Hindustan Insecticides Ltd. (HIL) and two private companies Excel Crop Care and Coromandel International.

In its four directions, the court said that "within the week from today, Hindustan Insecticides, Excel Crop Care and Coromandel Int'l shall hold a meeting and decide the existing quantity of endosulfan formulation which each of the three companies could dilute, repackage and export."

Thereafter, HIL would communicate to the association of endosulfan manufacturers the exact quantity of the existing stock of the formulation which each of the above three companies would be able to dilute and repackage.

On a petition by Democratic Youth Federation of India - the youth wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist - the court May 13 banned the production and sale of endosulfan in the country as it was blamed for causing ailments in humans.