MP: Candlelight vigil held to mark 39th anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy

The densely populated colonies near the factory are using contaminated underground water, Balkrishna Namdev of Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogi Sangarsh Morcha told PTI.Namdev said his organisation burnt the effigy of Dow Chemical at Neelam Park this afternoon.In a joint press release, Rashida Bee, president of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh said, Union Carbide and Dow Chemical are yet to pay damages for the health injuries, including birth defects, of children of gas exposed parents. Also the principle of polluter pays is valid in both India and USA.

A candlelight vigil was organized on Saturday near the now-defunct Union Carbide factory in memory of victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, widely considered as the world's worst industrial disaster.

At least 3,787 people were killed and more than five lakh were affected physically after toxic gas leaked from the pesticide factory in the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.

The march, which was attended mostly by women carrying placards seeking compensation, health care and justice, started from Sidhi Colony and ended at the memorial for victims close to the factory.

''We want Dow Chemical, which has taken over Union Carbide, to be made part of the case. The waste lying inside the factory should be removed as it is seeping and contaminating underground water. The densely populated colonies near the factory are using contaminated underground water,'' Balkrishna Namdev of Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogi Sangarsh Morcha told PTI.

Namdev said his organisation burnt the effigy of Dow Chemical at Neelam Park this afternoon.

In a joint press release, Rashida Bee, president of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh said, ''Union Carbide and Dow Chemical are yet to pay damages for the health injuries, including birth defects, of children of gas exposed parents.'' ''Also the principle of "polluter pays" is valid in both India and USA. The US corporations must pay for environmental contamination of soil and groundwater up to 5 kilometres from the factory,'' she added.

Demanding penal action against corporations who broke the law and continued to do business with Union Carbide after the tragedy, Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action alleged ''Gas Authority India Limited (GAIL), ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation, Gujarat Alkalies Chlorides Limited and others continued to do business with Union Carbide while it was absconding.'' Representatives of these PSUs must be punished for aiding a killer corporation, the release quoted her as saying.

Nawab Khan, president of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, said an ''Empowered Commission on Bhopal'' must be set up having the authority and the corpus fund to ensure long term medical care and social rehabilitation of the survivors and their next generation.

Such a commission, which was approved by the UPA government under Manmohan Singh in 2008, is the best way to address the long aftermath of the disaster, Khan asserted.

Nasreen Khan of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh alleged the state government's Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation had not utilized massive funds.

''More than Rs. 100 crore meant for job creation for survivors' children remains unutilized for the last 13 years, while tens of thousands of young men and women are looking for gainful employment,'' Nasreen Khan claimed.

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