Leaders of five survivors’ organisations expressed their happiness over making Dow Chemical representatives appear in the Bhopal court.
Pervez Bari | Clarion India
BHOPAL – Ahead of the 39th anniversary of the 3rd December 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, leaders of five survivors’ organisations have claimed that the Madhya Pradesh government plans to shut down the department set up for the welfare of the survivors.
“We have recently come across an official document marked confidential that lays out a plan to close down the Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation (BGTRR). The plan scheduled to be discussed at the next meeting of the state Cabinet, proposes handing over the five hospitals and nine dispensaries run by the BGTRR to the Departments of Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education,” Ms Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action said.
Addressing a joint press conference with representatives of four other organisations here, Ms. Dhingra said, “Through some Orwellian logic, it is being claimed that such a transfer will improve the health care of Bhopal survivors.”
Leaders of the five survivors’ organisations also expressed their happiness over making a Dow Chemical representative appear in the Bhopal court and strongly condemned attempts by the minister and officials of the BGTRR to close down the department.
“We are happy that just before the 39th anniversary, we have succeeded in making a representative of the Dow Chemical Company, USA appear in the Bhopal district court. This is the first time that this corporation that owns Union Carbide and hence its criminal liabilities has made an appearance. It is now up to the prosecution, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to ensure that Dow receives the harshest punishment for its crimes,” said Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh.
Balkrishna Namdeo, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha, said: “Union Carbide has been absconding for the last 31 years and now Dow Chemical which owns the fugitive corporation has been summoned in the criminal case on the disaster through our efforts. The CBI works directly under the prime minister and we are sending an appeal to him for effective and speedy prosecution of Dow Chemical.”
Nawab Khan, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, said: “In the last few months the state high court has reprimanded the Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation for grave laxity in following the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee for improvement of health care of Bhopal survivors. Instead of making much-awaited improvements in the computerised registration of patients, treatment protocols and quality of care, the officials are trying to carry out a vanishing act to escape judicial sanctions.”
The organisations congratulated the artists and makers of the series “The Railwaymen” for a powerful narration of the story of the gas leak disaster and its aftermath.
“We thank the makers and artists of ‘The Railwaymen’ for telling the story of the disaster to the global audience. It is indeed heartening to see that the makers have highlighted corporate machinations and governmental apathy towards the disaster and its long aftermath with clarity. We hope the success of this series encourages other filmmakers to tell the full story of the ongoing world’s worst industrial disaster in Bhopal,” said Nasreen Bee of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha.
Vishwas Sarang, the Madhya Pradesh Minister for Gas Relief & Rehabilitation, has reportedly denied the allegation saying: “They are fake people and speak nonsense. As far as I know, there is no such proposal at hand.”
