Demonstrations mark 25th anniversary of Bhopal gas tragedy

Bhopal, Dec 3 (PTI) Angry survivors joined protests to
mark the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster Thursday
demanding those responsible be finally brought to book, as
Parliament saluted the memory of the victims of "one of the
most harrowing man-made tragedies."

Protestors marched to the Union Carbide pesticide plant
where on December 3, 1984 lethal Methyl Iso Cyanate (MIC) gas
leaked from the factory killing over 15,000 people and
affecting more than five lakh in the days and weeks after the
disaster. They voiced concern at inadequate compensation.
The Lok Sabha, the Lower House of the Indian Parliament,
passed a resolution expressing solidarity with the victims
with Speaker Meira Kumar saying, "even after two decades and a
half, the pain and anguish of the survivors continue to
torment us."
In the Upper House, the Rajya Sabha, Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury lamented the
"criminal negligence" in payment of compensation to victims.
Yechury, who was supported by almost the entire House,
said that toxic waste is still lying around Union Carbide
plant affecting water and soil in a five sq km area.
Convenor of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan
Abdul Jabbar told PTI there was lot of anger among the
victims at the fact that 25 years after the disaster no one
has been punished for it.
"The judicial process in our country is very slow and
it seems highly unlikely that the disaster victims will be
able to get justice in their life times," Jabbar said.
The rallies and demonstrations were staged at several
places in the city amid latest claims by the Centre for
Science and Environment that Groundwater in areas around the
Bhopal gas tragedy site contain almost 40 times more
pesticides than allowed under the Indian standards.(MORE)
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