[ganpat1956]

BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY: ONE OF THE SPEAKERS AT THE PRESS MEET SAID THAT THE PLIGHT OF THE PEOPLE IN NANDIGRAM IS SIMILAR TO THE VICTIMS OF THE TRAGEDY

Gas tragedy survivors oppose Dow Chemical’s entry in Bengal


Kolkata, June 5: A delegation comprising members of different organisations seeking justice for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy said that it would not allow Dow Chemical to set up base in the proposed chemical hub in West Bengal till the latter accepts its pending liabilities towards the victims of the tragedy.
Dow Chemical is the parent company of Union Carbide, which owned the chemical factory in Bhopal from where the leak of toxic gases in December 1984 killed over 20,000 and injured several others.

Speaking during a press meet today, Rashida Bee, a member of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh, said that the plight of the people in Nandigram is similar to that of the victims of the tragedy. “The world has learnt its lesson from the biggest industrial tragedy, only in India we are committing the same mistakes again.”


When asked about the future course of action, Satinath Sarangi, a member of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, said that it was going to use the Right to Information Act (RTI) as a “weapon” to generate awareness among the people. “We will oppose any effort on the part of the West Bengal government to let Dow Chemical come to the state,” said Sarangi.

Representatives of the Bhopal Survivors’ Organisations said that they are going to form an all-India council and send a delegation to the West Bengal government.

Sarangi told the media that in accordance with the “polluter pays” principle, Dow Chemical is legally liable to pay for the clean up of chemical waste and pay compensation to the victims of the tragedy. He informed the media that the Indian government has sought Rs 100 crore from Dow Chemical as advance for cleaning up the hazardous waste from and around the Bhopal factory. However, the company, through its counsel, had told the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which is hearing the case, that it was not bound by its ruling as it is a USA-based company.

Sarangi said that the US Security and Exchange Commission had penalised Dow Chemical for financial irregularities, including its attempt to bribe Indian officials. He alleged that the motive behind the bribe was to introduce Dursban, an insecticide banned in the US for its harmful effects, in the Indian market. The CBI is also investigating the case.

Yesterday 21 members of the Bhopal Survivors’ Organisations visited two areas of Nandigram and talked to the locals there.

Gas tragedy survivors oppose Dow Chemical’s entry in Bengal