The Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Bhopal gas tragedy is understood to have today decided to recommend filing of a curative petition in the Supreme Court to fix criminal liability, seek extradition of former Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson and cleaning up the complex by burying the toxic waste.
Official sources said the curative petition will focus on criminal liability of the accused and seek more stringent charges, as the apex court had earlier diluted the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the accused to negligence.
Headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram, the GoM, which met for the third day today, also favoured approaching the United States to seek extradition of the former Carbide chief to face trial in India. The tragedy, which occurred in the night of December 2-3, 1984, left over 15,000 people dead and thousands maimed.
The GoM is also likely to recommend the burying of contaminated soil at the site itself in a scientific manner and the Madhya Pradesh government will carry out the task, for which the Central government will provide financial and technical assistance, the sources said.
Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting that the GoM had covered all the subjects that were identified and is expected to give its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow.
“The minutes are being drawn up. Tomorrow, the GoM will meet again to finalise the minutes — finalise the recommendations and conclusions. I expect to send the report to the Prime Minister tomorrow afternoon,” he said.
Chidambaram said the fourth and final session of the GoM today discussed remediation and environmental issues.
“Remediation of contaminated soil, contaminated water, the toxic waste that are at the site and the corroded plant, the corroded steel and other material,” he said.
The sources said the GoM extensively discussed the issue of providing additional compensation to the victims, as the relief given so far was inadequate. The compensation should be based on health classification like injuries suffered and the after-effects of exposure to poisonous chemicals, including cancer, long term diseases, disability and death of next of kin.
