Time has stood still for Lachho Bai, a survivor of the Bhopal gas tragedy. Another year has passed, and she couldn’t come out of her old makeshift hut made of planks. Officials, ministers and authorities made tall claims but she is restricted to her solitary confinement for 26 years. On the intervening night of December 2-3, toxic methyl-isocyanate gas that escaped from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal claiming the joys of the life of hundreds like her. She can neither see, walk nor speak.
Each year like a ritual, state government authorities make “urgent” official trips out of Bhopal or make statements. The sufferings of the survivors are only aggravated and no solution reached as to how and when the Indian government will bring the main accused of the tragedy Warren Anderson to the book? The culprit is still out of the reach of law.”
Similarly, thousands of residents, near the closed entity, in the fourteen localities still have no option but to drink contaminated toxic water as Bhopal gas relief department couldn’t arrange for potable water to these localities from Bhopal municipal corporation (BMC).
“We have sanctioned and disbursed funds under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, now it’s up to the BMC to ensure the supply. We have set a deadline of March 2011 for them, hope they will arrange door-to-door water supply connections by then,” an official in the department told Business Standard.
The BMC has still a long way to go. “As many as 30 per cent of the houses have been given door-to-door connections. The rest will be over soon,” said an official.
Further, a fresh compensation to victims and pension to the widows is yet to be started as state authorities haven’t yet figured out the number of claimants and widows. “We’ll ensure a pension of Rs 500 per month to each widow. After five years she will have options to withdraw in lump sum. And additional compensation will also be given under various categories; for death Rs 10 lakh, for permanent disability Rs 5 lakh, for temporary disability Rs 1 lakh, a cancer patient and kidney patient will get Rs 2 lakh each,” the official in Bhopal gas relief department added.
On the other hand, survivors and NGOs are demanding equal compensation to all officially acknowledged claimants, review death claims for which compensation was wrongfully denied and include exposure related deaths after 1997 and adequate compensation from Union Carbide Corporation, USA by filing curative petition against the settlement orders of 1989 and 1991, “What about those who are still dying,” said Balkrishna Namdeo an activist of Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrti Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha.
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“Hundreds of people exposed to the contaminated water must immediately receive facilities for free medical care at hospitals meant for survivors of the gas disaster, fresh medical research are the need of the hour,” said Rashida Bee another activist. The Union Carbide factory premise is still in its original form. The state and the Centre have planned a memorial on the premise but the government is awaiting court orders for cleaning-up of toxic waste lying in the premise.
The impending legal action against Dow Chemical Company still hangs in mid-air. Many questions linger as to when will the Indian government participate in the ongoing litigation on the issue of contamination against Union Carbide and Warren Anderson in the US Federal Court in New York, or send a fresh request for the extradition of Warren Anderson to the US State and Justice Department.