32 years on, Bhopal gas victims still await justice

Voicing displeasure against both the state and Central governments for not doing enough for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims, an organisation fighting for their cause has alleged that 32 years after the world's worst industrial disaster, the victims are still waiting for adequate relief and justice.
Besides relief, the gas leak victims want stringent punishment to those responsible for it and also those who allegedly facilitated escape of the then Union Carbide chief, late Warren Anderson, said Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sanghathan's, convenor, Abdul Jabbar.
"Even three decades after the disaster, neither the Madhya Pradesh government nor the Centre has attempted to undertake a comprehensive assessment of its impact or to take necessary remedial measures," Jabbar said.

Jabbar along with others has been fighting for justice to the gas victims.
More than 20,000 people died after methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Limited in the Madhya Pradesh capital on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. Many more continued to suffer from its ill effects years later.
The impact on flora and fauna in the affected area was equally grave. He alleged that the state government has failed to address "adequately and with sensitivity" a host of socio- economic problems that confront the chronically sick, the elderly, the differently-abled, the widowed, and other vulnerable sections among the gas victims.

"The pittance, which was disbursed as compensation in most instances to these sections was never enough to take care of their daily needs. Finding gainful employment in accordance with the reduced capacity to work and to lead a dignified life has been a serious challenge," Jabbar said.

The state government has to give far more attention and provide far larger support to the most vulnerable sections of gas-victims than in the past, he said.
Referring to the toxic waste that was generated during UCIL's operation from 1969 to 1984 and which remained dumped in and around the plant leading to severe soil and water contamination, he alleged that a comprehensive study to assess the extent and gravity of the damage has not been carried out by the Centre or the state government till date.

Similarly, who facilitated the escape of the then UCC
chief Warren Anderson from Bhopal should also be looked into, said Jabbar.
In response to an application filed by Jabbar and Shahnawaz Khan on June 15, 2010, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Bhopal had on November 19, 2016 ordered a case to be registered against Moti Singh, a retired IAS officer and Swaraj Puri, a retired IPS officer, under sections 212 (harbouring an offender), 217 (public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) and 221 (intentional omission to apprehend on the part of public servant bound to apprehend) of IPC for sheltering accused Anderson and allowing him to escape from Bhopal on December 7, 1984.

Summonses have been issued to Singh and Puri to appear before the court on December 8, 2016 in this regard, Jabbar said.
The responsibility for providing safe drinking water to the affected population is entirely that of the state government, which is yet to fulfil its responsibility in this regard, he said.
Meanwhile, five NGOs are planning to burn the US flag along with the logos of the two multi-national companies here tomorrow, which happens to be the 32nd anniversary of Bhopal tragedy.
These NGOs have been accusing the US administration and the two companies of being inhumane towards people still suffering due to the toxic waste of the now defunct Union Carbide factory.

"We are going to burn the US flag and logos of two US companies - Dow Chemicals and DuPont," Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha, president, Balkrishna Namdeo said.