No more Bhopal like disasters please
The poor victims of Bhopal gas tragedy have been waiting for justice for long twenty five years and their 2nd and the 3rd generations are toiling for equal rights as they have been gifted disabilities by the accident.
IT HAS been long wait of twenty five years for the poor victims of the gas leak at Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal, who are still awaiting justice. At around midnight of December 2, 1984, the fatal gas Mythyl isocyanate spewed out of a tank causing a dreadful tragedy all around. While Union Carbide has been taken over by Dow Chemicals and their business goes on as usual, the innocent victims have either died while waiting for justice or face death every day as they see their incapacitated progeny but feel helpless to get them normal. There have been numerous times change of political guard at the center and the state level but unfortunately no government could feel their plight. In fact, it has been our own elected government only, that has been hostile to the poor sufferers for so long time. Firstly, the authorities let such a hazardous gas using plant be located in a middle of a bustling city of 800000 people. Secondly, true death toll never found place in the official records and hence the intensity of disaster has ever been tried to be undermined. Thirdly, the company apparently defaulted for compromising on safety to save cost but was easily let off at the payment of mere $470 million, just 15% of the initial claim of $3 billion. Worse, its new owner Dow Chemical Company claimed $10000 as compensation for alleged loss due to the demonstrations by the survivors. The declared absconder Anderson, now 88 continues to elude our legal process as our government is also lethargic to bring him to justice in the fear of impairing its relation with the USA. The government subsequently, announced an award of Rs 25000 for every survivor but pitiably, a very few of them have actually received it. While no compensation has yet been awarded for those born with disabilities, the awardees are also running from pillar to post and being harassed by the red tape, corruption and apathetical officialdom to get the meager compensation. There is still no provision of clean water; 100 tonnes of effluents on site have been left unclean and only get washed underground with every monsoon. As a result more than 5 lakh people today are prone to every day exposure to the toxic gas. What can help them indeed if they inhale it with every sip of water, breathe it all the time and live with it every moment courtesy the insensitive government? The successive governments have invariably turned deaf ears to their minimum demands as suitable jobs, medical care and hence the saga of their agony continues. The silver jubilee of the accident found several media houses covering the story but the misfortune again went out of sight after a few days and perhaps no one would now find space to report when they come protesting against the official unsympathetic attitude to the capital next time. The most unfortunate realization is that our policy makers have blatantly refused to learn any lessons from the terrible accident as is revealed by the content of the nuclear accident liability bill, 2009. The bill shifts the primary burden of the accident from the foreign builders to Indian state. Although, the draft has not been made public, it is said to cap the maximum compensation at Rs 2250 Crore, with foreign builder's maximum share at mere Rs 300 cr. Clearly, it seeks to burden the Indian tax payers with huge hidden subsidy to the foreign investors, thus paving way for more Bhopal like tragedies. The bill needs to be thoroughly analyzed before it is passed as a law. The NGOs and help groups probably need to raise their concerns louder and in a shriller tone to make government actually listen to them. Hereby one can assess how genuine Indians, at times, are forced to adopt violent means of protesting and it can surely be avoided only if the power corridors pay heed to the peaceful processions.
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.Your article is good but, with regard to the last paragraph, I would say that the various NGO's are raising their concerns in as 'loud and shrill' a voice as possible.
Actually what they need is more support. From ordinary people, from people in positions of influence, from people who write articloes...
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