Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Gas disaster survivors said that even after 37 years of the disaster the victims are still undergoing treatment at hospitals which is enough to prove that the effect on health resulting from exposure is permanent and not temporary.
The centre should thus rectify the facts in curative petition in Supreme Court and award adequate compensation to all 5.74 lakh gas victims considering permanent health issues they will have to bear lifelong, said the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy that occurred on December 2-3, 1984. Lakhs of people were exposed to methyl isocyanate following a leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant.
Bhopal Gas Disaster victims are fighting for rectification of declaration in curative petition in Supreme Court on the ground that the gas survivors even after 37 years of the disaster the people are still undergoing treatment at hospitals.
Jai Prakash of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan, said, “In the curative petition the Union government has admitted that 5.74 lakh have temporary injuries. But even after 37 years, the gas victims are still undergoing treatment at hospitals, it shows that injuries are permanent and the government should fix compensation on the basis of permanent injuries and should not shrug off its responsibility calling all as temporary injuries.”
Photo exhibition organised on eve of 38th Bhopal Gas Tragedy on Thursday. |
Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) Rachna Dhingra said, on January 8, 2011, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh had written to the Prime Minister clarifying that the number of deaths due to gas disaster is not 5,295 but 15,348 and that 5,21,332 gas victims have suffered permanent health damage due to gas exposure. The Chief Minister had demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation for the deaths and Rs 5 lakh compensation for the medically affected. So the onus now is on to the CM as well as the Central government to rectify the figure and fact in the curative petition in Supreme Court.”
The gas survivors are currently fighting for adequate compensation, cleaning up of poisons from soil and groundwater, punishment of the guilty corporations and medical and social rehabilitation.
Gas survivors express gratitude to UK MPs for EDM: The Gas Tragedy victims expressed gratitude on Thursday to the Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for backing an Early Day Motion (EDM) entitled 'Campaign for justice for the victims of the Bhopal gas leak'.
The EDM calls for those responsible for the disaster to be brought to justice, and calls upon Dow Chemicals, owner of Union Carbide, “to urgently rectify the environmental damage and properly compensate the victims”.Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal group for Information & Action informed that the motion was moved by Navendu Mishra a Labour MP of Indian origin. “His efforts resulted in the UK Minister of state in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Anne-Marie Trevelyan, to commit to raise issues of Bhopal with Indian counterparts during ongoing discussions on trade and cooperation,” she said.
