Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): Putting to rest all the apprehensions, the officials of the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers have assured the Bhopal Gas disaster victims the Centre is strongly pursuing the Curative Petition for additional compensations in Supreme Court. The hearing in the apex court is scheduled for Tuesday.
The development comes following demonstration of gas survivors at Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi on Monday, seeking additional compensation. The gas victims were apprehensive that the Centre government would withdraw the curative petition which was filed in 2010 by the UPA government seeking 96 billion rupees as additional compensation for the disaster from Union Carbide and its owner Dow Chemical.
Earlier in the day, around 50 women survivors staged demonstration in front of Nirman Bhavan expressing apprehension that the Indian government may take a U turn on the curative petition. They submitted a legal representation addressed to the Union minister of chemicals & fertilizers, which is the nodal ministry for matters concerning the aftermath of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster. The Bhopal survivors warned that “Any withdrawal of the curative petition, without due regard to the victims’ stand on the issue, will be in contravention of the Central Government’s statutory and constitutional duty.”
“Today the officials at the Ministry have assured us that tomorrow (Tuesday) at the hearing in the Supreme Court the government will continue to pursue the case for additional compensation. We will be at the hearing tomorrow to see for ourselves.” said Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information & Action.
