Hundreds of survivors of Bhopal gas tragedy today began an indefinite fast in Delhi, demanding additional compensation for those affected and correction of data in the curative petition filed in the Supreme Court by the central government.
Of them, five women survivors of the gas leak in Union Carbide plant on 2-3 December, 1984 began fast without water.
"We decided to take our protest to New Delhi after the betrayal of the Chief Minister. In December 2011, he had said that each of the affected persons deserved compensation of Rs 5 lakh yet he has done nothing to ensure that we get what is our legal right.
"Instead he is helping the American corporations by downplaying the damage caused by the disaster in the Curative petition filed by the state government. We have been trying to to meet the Prime Minister for the past two months, but have been unsuccessful. Thus we are forced to sit on strike," said Balkrishna Namdeo, President of Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha.
Five Bhopal-based organisations which are jointly leading the protest urged the Prime Minister and the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers to correct the errors of the previous government on the issue of compensation.
"The figures (of affected people) in the curative petition are much lesser than the findings of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) itself, which are government figures. We are calling upon this (NDA) government to correct that and pay additional compensation of Rs 1 lakh to all those affected by the disaster," said Rashida Bee, president of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karamchari Sangh.
She said in 2010 the Group of Ministers on Bhopal decided to pay additional compensation of Rs 1 lakh but left out as many as 93 per cent of the survivors without any scientific or legal basis.
The organisations said that they had had a purposeful meeting with the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers in Bhopal recently. "Ananth Kumar showed much interest in understanding why and how so many survivors were being discriminated against," said Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action.
