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February 21, 2008
Bhopal survivors march on New Delhi
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About 100 victims of one of the world's worst industrial disasters have begun a march of more than 700km to the Indian capital, New Delhi, to demand compensation.
More than 3,500 people were killed in 1984 when a Union Carbide plant leaked cyanide gas in Bhopal.
Survivors say they still face health problems from the abandoned chemical plant.
A few people turned back on Thursday from the month-long hike after the first 30km, organisers said.
"Two have left," Rachna Dhingra of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal told Al Jazeera. "It was too much for them - they were too old and too sick."
The march, launched on Wednesday, is the second by survivors and victims in two years.
Compensation calls
In 2006, marchers camped on Delhi's pavement for weeks before getting assurances from Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, that he would look into their demands for compensation and clean-up of the toxic waste.
Protesters say the government has since protected chemical companies rather than uphold its promises, and are calling for an independent body to be set-up to assist the disaster victims.
"We want a commission on Bhopal and we want this mess gone," Leela Bhai, a survivor, told Al Jazeera.
The disaster occurred on December 3, 1984, when a storage tank at the Union Carbide India pesticide plant in Bhopal spewed deadly methyl isocyanate gas into the air, killing more than 3,500 slum dwellers immediately.
"I remember the night of the gas leak like it was yesterday," Leela said. "As we fled the city, there were bodies lying everywhere, bodies like dead insects."
The toll has since climbed to more than 15,000, the government says.
But activists say the number of fatalities is double that and that up to 5,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals have leached into soil and water from the plant site, causing tens of thousands to be chronically ill.
Health problems
According to local doctors, the majority of those seeking medical care in Bhopal are survivors of the leak suffering from chronic respiratory ailments, but children born long after the accident are also having problems.
The march route
Mohammad Ali Qaiser, a Bhopal doctor, said "congenital deformities such as cleft palate, cleft lip and, of course, head circumference - sometimes very big or sometimes very low - and mental retardation" were common.
The Indian government acknowledges it has been slow to address the issue adequately.
Arjun Singh, the Indian human resources minister, told Al Jazeera: "You know justice is not that quick. More [important] than justice is the aid that they require, the rehabilitation and taking care of their medicines and everything.
"I think that should be expedited."
With approximately 700km left on their trek to Delhi, victims are counting on the march to have a better outcome than that of two years ago.
"Things will be different," Dhingra said. "We have already started the dialogue with the ministry of chemicals and they've been very receptive."
"And there's going to be tremendous international pressure."
The survivors want US giant Dow Chemical, which took over Union Carbide in 1999, to pay for the clean-up and health damages. They are also demanding that clean water is supplied.
Dow, however, says all liabilities were settled in 1989 when Union Carbide paid $470m.
Posted by tim at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2008
Bhopal gas leak survivors begin protest march to New Delhi
NEW DELHI (AFP) — More than 60 survivors and victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak began a trek to New Delhi on Wednesday to press for a clean-up of the toxic waste still surrounding the plant, activists said.
Forty more people are expected to join the 800-kilometre (500-mile) march from Bhopal in central India to the Indian capital in the country's north, a statement issued by the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal said.
This is the second such march by Bhopal survivors in two years.
In 2006, the survivors went home after camping on Delhi's pavements for weeks following assurances by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he would look into their demands for compensation and clean-up of the toxic waste.
"Two years after his promise, the lot of the Bhopalis has gone from bad to worse," survivor Rashida Bee said.
"Our effort this year would be far more difficult for the government to ignore," she said in a statement.
The disaster occurred on December 3, 1984 when a storage tank at the Union Carbide India Ltd. pesticide plant in Bhopal spewed deadly cyanide gas into the air, killing more than 3,500 slum dwellers immediately.
The toll has since climbed to more than 15,000, the government says.
But activists say the number of fatalities is double that.
They also say people still face health problems because of drinking toxic water and tens of thousands are chronically ill.
Activists say the plant site still contains around 5,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals and that chemicals have contaminated soil and water up to five kilometres (three miles) away.
The survivors want US giant Dow Chemical, which took over Union Carbide in 1999, to pay for the clean-up and health damages. They are also demanding that clean water is supplied.
Dow says all liabilities were settled in 1989 when Union Carbide paid 470 million dollars.
Posted by tim at 12:52 AM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2008
Over 100 Bhopal gas disaster survivors to foot-march to New Delhi from Feb. 20
Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net, 19th February, 2008
Bhopal: Over a hundred survivors of Bhopal gas tragedy, the world's worst industrial disaster, who were poisoned by the Union Carbide’s toxic chemicals, and their supporters will walk about 800 kilometers to New Delhi from here to remind the Indian Prime Minister of the promises he did not keep. The foot-march from Bhopal to New Delhi will kick-start from Wednesday (February 20).
The people in the "Padyatra" (foot-march) will include survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster and residents of communities in the vicinity of the abandoned Union Carbide factory where the soil and ground water has been contaminated for last 20 years.
The three survivors’ and supporters’ organizations: Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha and Bhopal Group for Information and Action, that are leading the "Padyatra" are demanding that the Prime Minister direct the setting up of an empowered commission on Bhopal for long term medical care and rehabilitation of the Bhopal victims and their children.
The organizations have suggested the names of Padmabhusan Dr. P M Bhargava founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad; Dr. Sneh Bhargav, former Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and eight other scientists, social workers and former government officials as representatives of the Bhopal survivors in the Commission on Bhopal.
In addition to the Empowered Commission on Bhopal, the "Padyatris" (foot-marchers) are demanding that the Prime Minister direct the ministries of External Affairs, Agriculture, Industries and Chemical & Fertilizers to take legal action against Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.
Their demands include revoking of the approval to Reliance Industries to purchase Union Carbide's Unipol technology, extradition of authorized representatives of Union Carbide Corporation and cancellation of registrations of four pesticides that Dow obtained licenses for by paying bribes to officials in the ministry of Agriculture. They are also demanding that the government must make Dow Chemical pay for the clean up of hazardous waste in Bhopal as well as pay compensation for health and environmental damages caused due to chemical contamination of soil and ground water.
It may be pointed out here that the organizations had gone on a similar "Padyatra" in February – March 2006 and had met with the Prime Minister on April 17, 2006. “After our 800 kilometer march we had to sit on a "dharna" (sit-in) for 15 days and then go on a hunger strike for six days just to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. When he finally met us he assured us that he will do all within his powers to help the victims of Bhopal and all within law to punish Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.” said Rashida Bee, president of the Karmachari Sangh a trade union of women workers. She alleged that the Prime Minister has kept none of his promises and that in the last two years the PMO (Prime Minister Office) has turned a blind eye to Dow Chemical’s illegal activities in India.
Thousands of national and international supporters of Bhopal survivors will be taking action throughout the "Padyatra". Nationwide supporters of the Bhopal campaign will organize rallies, meetings and signature campaigns and there are plans of protests at several Indian Consulates and Embassies in the United States and the United Kingdom. Concerned citizens from many countries have already begun sending postcards and faxes to the Prime Minister asking him to “walk his talk”.
According to Satinath Sarangi of Bhopal Group for Information and Action, the Bhopal "Padyatris" expect to reach New Delhi in the last week of March when they have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister. Depending on the response of the Prime Minister the marchers may decide to go on an indefinite fast at the end of their 800 kilometers long march. (pervezbari@eth.net)
Posted by tim at 12:48 AM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2008
Bhopal gas tragedy victims march to Delhi with demands
Thaindian news, February 18th, 2008
Bhopal, Feb 18 (IANS) Bhopal gas tragedy victims and their supporters are set to begin a march to Delhi Wednesday to press for their demand that include the constitution of an empowered commission to plan and carry out their rehabilitation. “The padyatra (march) will start from here on Wednesday and will culminate in Delhi on March 23 after passing through five states in 33 days. In Delhi, they will stage a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar,” Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group of Information and Action (BGIA), an NGO participating in the march, told reporters Monday.
The other participating NGOs include Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmachari Sangh and Bhopal Gas Peedit Purush Evam Mahila Sangathan. They are demanding that the prime minister direct the setting up of an empowered commission for the long-term medical care and rehabilitation of the Bhopal gas tragedy victims and their children.
“The organisations have suggested the names of P.M. Bhargava, founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Sneh Bhargav, former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and eight other scientists, social workers and former government officials as representatives of the Bhopal survivors in the commission,” said Rashida Bi, another activist.
“In addition to the empowered commission on Bhopal, we demand that the prime minister direct the ministries of external affairs, agriculture, industries and chemical & fertilisers to take legal action against Union Carbide and Dow Chemical,” she said.
In December 1984, more than 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate and other poisonous gases spewed out of Union Carbide’s pesticide plant, killing over 3,000 people instantly. Several thousand others were maimed for life and more than 15,000 people have died since then.
The victims’ demands include revoking the approval to Reliance Industries to purchase Union Carbide’s Unipol technology, extradition of authorised Union Carbide Corporation representatives and cancelling the registration of four pesticides that Dow obtained licences for by allegedly paying bribes.
They want Dow Chemicals, its present owner, to pay for cleaning up hazardous waste in Bhopal and pay compensation for health and environmental damages caused due to the chemical contamination of soil and ground water.
The groups had undertaken a similar march in February-March 2006 and had met the prime minister.
“After our 800 km march, we had to sit on a dharna (sit-in) for 15 days and then go on a hunger strike for six days to meet Manmohan Singh. When he finally met us, he assured us that he will do everything possible to help the victims of Bhopal and all within law to punish Union Carbide and Dow Chemical,” said Rashida.
She alleged that the prime minister had not kept any of his promises.
A coordination committee was formed in June 2006 with representatives from the central and the state government and NGOs to work on issues pertaining to comprehensive rehabilitation of gas victims, provision of clean water and furthering medical research on impact of exposure to methyl isocyanate on survivors.
But Dhingra said that in the one and a half years of its existence, the coordination committee had failed to do anything, mainly due to the state government’s indifference.
Posted by tim at 12:56 AM | Comments (0)