If after 25 years of the Bhopal tragedy, just half the relief funds have been distributed to those affected, this is a matter of national shame. As “Night without end”, December 4, points out, this was after the compensation asked for was also very low — while the number of dead is 20,000 and those affected is 570,000, the compensation was fixed on the assumption that the figures were 3,000 and 105,000, respectively.
It has been 25 years since the tragedy and even the plant site has not been cleaned up and, as a study by the Centre for Science and Environment shows, the chemicals have leached into the soil and contaminated the groundwater. It is imperative that Dow Chemicals be asked to pay for the cleaning up. But, as has been pointed out by you, all of this is of academic interest until the victims are rehabilitated. The government of the state of Madhya Pradesh as well as the central government have to ensure that adequate relief is given and find ways to provide aid to the affected families.
This cannot be confined to medical relief, since those affected by the gas are no longer in a position to work. While it may be true that compensation levels were much lower in the country at the time of the accident in 1984, the relief given is way too low in today’s situation. The government has to look into the matter very urgently.
Sanjay Gupta, Noida