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December 21, 2005
Women accuse minister of breaking his sacred promise
FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS BHOPAL'S POLITICIANS HAVE IGNORED AN INDIAN SUPREME COURT ORDER TO PROVIDE CLEAN SAFE WATER TO COMMUNITIES WHOSE WELLS AND PUMPS ARE POISONED BY UNION CARBIDE'S CHEMICALS
More photographs on ACTIONS blog.
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
Bhopal ki Aawaaz
PRESS STATEMENT - DECEMBER 21, 2005
Led by four organisations of Bhopal gas victims, over 600 women from the communities adjacent to the abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal today demonstrated at the residence of Minister for Gas Relief, Mr Babulal Gaur. The demonstrators charged the Minister with not keeping his 'Rakhi' promise of supplying clean water from the Kolar reservoir through pipe lines.
The ground water in these communities is contaminated with highly poisonous chemicals that were recklessly dumped by the Union Carbide management. More than half of the demonstrators had on August 19, 2005 tied 'rakhis' on the wrist of Mr Gaur when he was the Chief Minister seeking his help in protection from Union Carbide's poisons. In a high powered meeting convened by Mr Gaur the next day a delegation of women from the 16 contaminated communities were assured that Kolar water would be supplied to these communities without delay.
The demonstrators alleged that the communities continue to be supplied with poor quality water through tankers and that the amount supplied is less than a fifth of their requirement. They also pointed out that six communities have not received a supply of water even through tankers. As a consequence of this, the majority of the residents of these 16 communities are forced to drink poisonous water coming from their hand pumps.
Ten different official and independent scientific agencies have reported the presence of chlorobenzene, lindane, carbon tetrachloride, mercury, nickel and poisonous substances that cause cancers, birth defects and injuries to different systems in the body. Tests carried out at IIT Kanpur have established the presence of pesticides and heavy metals in high concentrations in samples of breast milk of the mothers in these communities.
The demonstrators also demanded immediate intervention of the Ministry of Gas Relief in resolving the continuing crisis at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital. They charged the state government with deliberate apathy in this matter and reminded the Minister that representatives of the State government were very much a part of the Bhopal Memorial Hospital Trust. The demonstrators said that through its inaction, the state government has only lent support to the corruption and other misdeeds of the Chairman and Working Trustee of Bhopal Memorial Trust.
Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
93031 32959
Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
93290 26319
Shahid Noor
Bhopal ki Aawaaz
98261 82226
Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra,
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
98261 67369
Contact :
House No. 12, Gali No. 2, Near Naseer Masjid, Bag Umrao Dulha, Bhopal 462 010
For latest information on Bhopal disaster please continue to visit www.bhopal.net
Posted by bhola at 06:47 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2005
Bhopal to Mark 21st Anniversary of Disaster
At a press conference today, Nov. 30th, leaders of four organizations of the survivors of the December 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal said that they will open a museum and march on rallies on 2nd and 3rd December as part of their activities to observe the 21 st Anniversary of the world's worst industrial disaster.
The torchlight rally on 2nd December will be led by children born with congenital abnormalities due to contamination of ground water in the vicinity of the Union Carbide factory. The rally on 3 rd December will culminate at a mass prayer meeting seeking divine grant of sense and sensitivity to the government authorities, and particularly to the new chief minister of the state, on the issues of the continuing disaster in Bhopal.
The leaders condemned the Central and state government's continued collusion with Union Carbide and its current owner, The Dow Chemical Company, USA. They criticized the government for failing in its duty to hold Dow Chemical accountable for its continuing liabilities in Bhopal. They demanded immediate stoppage of Dow-Corning's proposed Silicone plant in Pune and blacklisting of Dow by all government agencies.
The leaders also condemned the continued negligence of the central and state governments towards providing facilities for health care and rehabilitation to the survivors of the disaster and their children. They said that the reports of the Supreme Court appointed Monitoring Committee on the condition of the hospitals for the survivors were a damning indictment of the state government. The leaders demanded that the central government set up a National Medical Commission with adequate authority and resources to provide medical care and economic rehabilitation to the survivors and their children.
The leaders were sharply critical of official apathy with regard to the supply of clean water to the communities next to the abandoned Union Carbide factory whose ground water is contaminated with toxic chemicals. They pointed out that in May 2004 the Supreme Court had directed the state government to provide clean water to these communities. According to the leaders, the supply of water in the last 18 months has been less than one fifth of the required amount and there is yet no plan for laying down pipelines to bring water from Kolar reservoir.
The activist leaders said that the recent order of the MP High Court has vindicated their stand that the work carried out by Hyderabad based M/s Ramky Limited under the MP Pollution Control Board was unsafe and unscientific. The leaders asserted that they will not allow the chemical waste stockpile inside the Union Carbide premises to be taken out for burial in the landfill in Peethampur near Indore or for incineration in Gujarat . Both these technologies of hazardous waste disposal are undafe and unscientific, they said. According to them Dow Chemical should be made to carry away the highly toxic material, in and around the Carbide factory to USA and clean up the contaminated soil and ground water in Bhopal.
The organizations said that they were opposed to the state government's proposal to build a memorial of the disaster because the government was complicit in the crime against the people of Bhopal and has no moral authority. They pointed out that the victims of the disaster remain totally excluded from the planning of the memorial and that the expenditure of Rs 100 Crores towards building the memorial was unjustified given the paucity of funds for medical care and rehabilitation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21ST ANNIVERSARY DEMANDS OF THE SURVIVORS OF THE UNION CARBIDE DISASTER
As the current owner of Union Carbide
The Dow Chemical Corporation Must:
1.FACE TRIAL: Ensure that Union Carbide and Warren Anderson present themselves in the Indian courts, and cease to abscond from the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Bhopal.
2.PROVIDE LONG TERM HEALTH CARE: Provide for medical rehabilitation of the persons exposed to toxic gases and contaminated groundwater and their children. This includes medical care, health monitoring and necessary research studies. The company must provide all information on the health consequences of the leaked gases and contaminants in the ground water.
3.CLEAN UP THE POISON: Clean up toxic wastes and contaminated groundwater in and around the Union Carbide factory site. Provide safe water to the community, and just compensation for those who have been injured or made ill by this contamination and/or have had their property damaged.
4.PROVIDE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SUPPORT: Provide income opportunities to victims who can not pursue their usual trade as a result of exposure-induced illnesses and income support to families rendered destitute due to death or incapacitation of the breadwinner of the family.
The Indian Government Must:
1. Stop Dow – Corning from starting a Silicone polymer production unit in Pune.
2. Set up a National Commission on Bhopal with the participation of non-government doctors and scientists and representatives of survivors for long term health monitoring, research, care and rehabilitation of the survivors of the disaster and their children at least for the next thirty years.
3. Take immediate steps to send an amended request for extradition of Warren Anderson and for extradition of the authorized representative of the Union Carbide Corporation. Set up a special prosecution cell in the Central Bureau of Investigation to expedite the pending criminal case against the Indian subsidiary and Indian officials of Union Carbide.
4. Ensure Dow's liability for on-site and off-site cleanup and payment of compensation for damage to health and property. Submit an amicus brief in US court in support in support of the plaintiffs.
5. Set up a panel of scientists for independent and expert assessment of soil and groundwater contamination. Publish ICMR toxicological and clinical reports.
6. Blacklist Dow and Union Carbide for purchases by government departments.
7. Ensure that BMHT continues to provide free treatment for gas survivors even after the 8-year deadline.
8. Declare December 3rd as a National Day of Mourning for the victims of industrial disasters. The disaster in Bhopal must be made part of textbooks in school and university education in the country.
The State Government of Madhya Pradesh Must:
1. Supply safe drinking water through Kolar Pipeline in communities affected by Union Carbide's contamination.
2. Not send chemical wastes from the Union Carbide factory for landfilling or for incineration.
3. Ensure free treatment of patients from communities affected by ground water contamination and persons born to exposed parents in gas rahat hospitals.
4. Build memorial without proper cleanup of the Union Carbide factory site.
5. Present a White Paper on expenditures made, programs carried out and results obtained in the last twenty years with regard to the relief and rehabilitation of the survivors.
The United States Government Must:
1. Send Warren Anderson and authorized representatives of Union Carbide to stand trial in Indian court.
2. Release Diane Wilson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events organized by survivors and support organizations on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal
2nd Dec 2005
11:00 am : Inauguration of Bhopal survivors' museum Yaad-e-Haadsaa
At : 44, Sant Kanwar Ram Nagar, Berasia Road (Behind DIG Bangla)
12.00 noon : Exhibition on activities of Sambhavna and screening of film made by community health workers of Sambhavna
6.00 pm : Candlelight vigil by Sambhavna staff and others
At : Roshanpura Square, New Market
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm : Torchlight rally led by children disabled due to ground water contamination
From : Ganesh Temple ( Chhola Road) to Mother statue in front of Union Carbide Factory
3rd Dec 2005
11 am : Rally by people poisoned by Dow-Union Carbide with floats and effigy of Dow Chemical
From : Bharat Talkies Flyover -Hamidia Road-Bus Stand-Dharmkanta - Ganesh Mandir-Union Carbide Factory
2 pm : Civic felicitation and Prayer Meeting
At : Mother statue in front of Union Carbide Factory
Posted by Shevardnadze at 03:36 AM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2005
On the 21st anniversary of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Disaster, AID organized vigils, awareness events
Volunteers demand the Government of India to take immediate actions to ensure social and economic rehabilitation of the survivors.
The Association for India's Development (AID) expresses solidarity with survivors of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy in their struggle for justice. December 2-3rd marked the 21st anniversary of the worst industrial disaster in human history. Twenty thousand people died immediately after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide pesticide manufacturing plant. Dow Chemical, a US-based corporation now owns Union Carbide and consistently refuses to accept any liability for the survivors of the 1984 gas tragedy. The government of India is neither bringing Dow to justice nor providing enough attention to long-term social, medical and economic rehabilitation of the survivors. "We deplore the failure of Government of India to ensure rehabilitation of the survivors and to hold Dow Chemical accountable." said Kiran Vissa, from AID Borad of Directors.
Toxics from the abandoned factory continue to pollute the drinking water of the communities causing various health problems. Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide when the disaster happened, is still fugitive from Indian courts and refuses to stand trial. Government of India should expedite the extradition of Warren Anderson, and order Dow Chemical to clean up the factory site. There are no efforts by the government of India or Government of Madhya Pradesh for economic and medical rehabilitation of the survivors and their children who inherited the effects of the toxic gas their parents inhaled. The state and central governments have failed to provide basic utilities to the communities such as clean drinking water and setting up commissions to study the long-term effects on the communities.
AID supports the demands of the survivor groups in Bhopal (see enclosed releases from the survivors for detailed demands) who are demanding justice from Government of Madhya Pradesh, Government of India, and Dow Chemical Corporation.
AID chapters throughout the US marked the anniversary by organizing vigils, public meetings, video screenings and exhibitions to create awareness about the continuing plight of the survivors. More than 300 volunteers and supporters participated in these activities. New chapters such as AID at University of California at Berkeley organized documentary screening and a poster exhibits on Thursday December 1st. "The event is to increase awareness about role of Dow Chemical in continuing tragedy of the Bhopal survivors. As we want the UC system to divest from Dow chemicals it's important for us that more and more people understand Dow's role in Bhopal." said Chandana Achanta, an AID volunteer from UC Berkeley. Many AID volunteers also took part in actions with other Bhopal support groups in Chicago and Midland Michigan, headquarters of Dow Chemical, to personally deliver demands of the Bhopal survivors to four board members of Dow Chemicals.
The Association for India's Development (AID), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization with 36 chapters and more than 1000 volunteers in the US. AID is committed to alleviating poverty in India, measuring progress with the yardsticks of self-reliance, social justice, people's involvement, and volunteerism. AID supports development efforts to empower poor and marginalized communities in India through interventions in areas such as women's issues, education, literacy, micro-credit, community health, sustainable livelihoods, watershed development and environmental justice. AID is working with the communities in Bhopal on livelihood generation projects. Additional information about AID is at www.aidindia.org
AID strongly demands the Government of India to take action on the demands of Bhopal survivors. We commit our support to the struggle which is a source of inspiration for our volunteers who stands for just and equitable development.
Posted by Shevardnadze at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2005
Yaad-e-Haadsaa Museum of Remembrance opens in Bhopal
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
Bhopal ki Aawaaz
December 2, 2005
Press Statement
The first museum in remembrance of the December 1984 Union Carbide gas tragedy was inaugurated today by Sunil Kumar, a survivor who lost his parents and five siblings to Union Carbide's gases 21 years ago. Called Yaad-e-Haadsaa, Memories of Disaster, the museum is an initiative of seven survivors’ and support organizations active on the lingering issues of the disaster.
Housed in a small building close to Union Carbide’s abandoned pesticide factory the museum has 40 photographs, memorabilia and notes from friends and family of the people who were killed by the poisonous gas leak. It also has photographs and artifacts related to Dow Chemical and Union Carbide Corporation and the ongoing contamination of ground water in the vicinity of the factory. Souvenirs and photographs depicting the different aspects of the struggle of the survivors for justice and dignity in the last 21 years are also presented at the museum.
The seven Bhopal based organizations behind the creation of this unique peoples’ museum are : Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal ki Aawaaz, Bhopal Group for Information and Action, Chirag Trust, Chingari Trust and Sambhavna Trust.
Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
93031 32959
Syed M Irfan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
93290 26319
Shahid Noor
Bhopal ki Aawaaz
98261 82226
Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra, Bhopal Group for Information and Action
98261 67369
Contact : House No. 12, Gali No. 2, Near Naseer Masjid, Bag Umrao Dulha, Bhopal 462 010
For latest information on Bhopal disaster please visit www.bhopal.net
Posted by bhola at 07:18 AM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2005
Survivors will open museum: 21st anniversary rallies
At a press conference today leaders of four organizations of the survivors of the December 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal said that they will open a museum and march on rallies on 2nd and 3rd December as part of their activities to observe the 21st Anniversary of the world's worst industrial disaster.
The torchlight rally on 2nd December will be led by children born with congenital abnormalities due to contamination of ground water in the vicinity of the Union Carbide factory. The rally on 3rd December will culminate at a mass prayer meeting seeking divine grant of sense and sensitivity to the government authorities, and particularly to the new chief minister of the state, on the issues of the continuing disaster in Bhopal.
The leaders condemned the Central and state government's continued collusion with Union Carbide and its current owner, The Dow Chemical Company, USA. They criticized the government for failing in its duty to hold Dow Chemical accountable for its continuing liabilities in Bhopal. They demanded immediate stoppage of Dow-Corning's proposed Silicone plant in Pune and blacklisting of Dow by all government agencies.
The leaders also condemned the continued negligence of the central and state governments towards providing facilities for health care and rehabilitation to the survivors of the disaster and their children. They said that the reports of the Supreme Court appointed Monitoring Committee on the condition of the hospitals for the survivors were a damning indictment of the state government. The leaders demanded that the central government set up a National Medical Commission with adequate authority and resources to provide medical care and economic rehabilitation to the survivors and their children.
The leaders were sharply critical of official apathy with regard to the supply of clean water to the communities next to the abandoned Union Carbide factory whose ground water is contaminated with toxic chemicals. They pointed out that in May 2004 the Supreme Court had directed the state government to provide clean water to these communities. According to the leaders, the supply of water in the last 18 months has been less than one fifth of the required amount and there is yet no plan for laying down pipelines to bring water from Kolar reservoir.
The activist leaders said that the recent order of the MP High Court has vindicated their stand that the work carried out by Hyderabad based M/s Ramky Limited under the MP Pollution Control Board was unsafe and unscientific. The leaders asserted that they will not allow the chemical waste stockpile inside the Union Carbide premises to be taken out for burial in the landfill in Peethampur near Indore or for incineration in Gujarat . Both these technologies of hazardous waste disposal are undafe and unscientific, they said. According to them Dow Chemical should be made to carry away the highly toxic material, in and around the Carbide factory to USA and clean up the contaminated soil and ground water in Bhopal.
The organizations said that they were opposed to the state government's proposal to build a memorial of the disaster because the government was complicit in the crime against the people of Bhopal and has no moral authority. They pointed out that the victims of the disaster remain totally excluded from the planning of the memorial and that the expenditure of Rs 100 Crores towards building the memorial was unjustified given the paucity of funds for medical care and rehabilitation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21st ANNIVERSARY DEMANDS OF THE SURVIVORS OF THE UNION CARBIDE DISASTER
As the current owner of Union Carbide
The Dow Chemical Corporation Must:
1.FACE TRIAL: Ensure that Union Carbide and Warren Anderson present themselves in the Indian courts, and cease to abscond from the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Bhopal.
2.PROVIDE LONG TERM HEALTH CARE: Provide for medical rehabilitation of the persons exposed to toxic gases and contaminated groundwater and their children. This includes medical care, health monitoring and necessary research studies. The company must provide all information on the health consequences of the leaked gases and contaminants in the ground water.
3.CLEAN UP THE POISON: Clean up toxic wastes and contaminated groundwater in and around the Union Carbide factory site. Provide safe water to the community, and just compensation for those who have been injured or made ill by this contamination and/or have had their property damaged.
4.PROVIDE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SUPPORT: Provide income opportunities to victims who can not pursue their usual trade as a result of exposure-induced illnesses and income support to families rendered destitute due to death or incapacitation of the breadwinner of the family.
The Indian Government Must:
1. Stop Dow – Corning from starting a Silicone polymer production unit in Pune.
2. Set up a National Commission on Bhopal with the participation of non-government doctors and scientists and representatives of survivors for long term health monitoring, research, care and rehabilitation of the survivors of the disaster and their children at least for the next thirty years.
3. Take immediate steps to send an amended request for extradition of Warren Anderson and for extradition of the authorized representative of the Union Carbide Corporation. Set up a special prosecution cell in the Central Bureau of Investigation to expedite the pending criminal case against the Indian subsidiary and Indian officials of Union Carbide.
4. Ensure Dow's liability for on-site and off-site cleanup and payment of compensation for damage to health and property. Submit an amicus brief in US court in support in support of the plaintiffs.
5. Set up a panel of scientists for independent and expert assessment of soil and groundwater contamination. Publish ICMR toxicological and clinical reports.
6. Blacklist Dow and Union Carbide for purchases by government departments.
7. Ensure that BMHT continues to provide free treatment for gas survivors even after the 8-year deadline.
8. Declare December 3rd as a National Day of Mourning for the victims of industrial disasters. The disaster in Bhopal must be made part of textbooks in school and university education in the country.
The State Government of Madhya Pradesh Must:
1. Supply safe drinking water through Kolar Pipeline in communities affected by Union Carbide's contamination.
2. Not send chemical wastes from the Union Carbide factory for landfilling or for incineration.
3. Ensure free treatment of patients from communities affected by ground water contamination and persons born to exposed parents in gas rahat hospitals.
4. Build memorial without proper cleanup of the Union Carbide factory site.
5. Present a White Paper on expenditures made, programs carried out and results obtained in the last twenty years with regard to the relief and rehabilitation of the survivors.
The United States Government Must:
1. Send Warren Anderson and authorized representatives of Union Carbide to stand trial in Indian court.
2. Release Diane Wilson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events organized by survivors and support organizations on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal
Posted by bhola at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
Bhopal Survivors Set Forth Demands on 21st Anniversary
At a press conference today leaders of four organizations of the survivors of the December 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal said that they will open a museum and march on rallies on 2nd and 3rd December as part of their activities to observe the 21st Anniversary of the world's worst industrial disaster.
The torchlight rally on 2nd December will be led by children born with congenital abnormalities due to contamination of ground water in the vicinity of the Union Carbide factory. The rally on 3rd December will culminate at a mass prayer meeting seeking divine grant of sense and sensitivity to the government authorities, and particularly to the new chief minister of the state, on the issues of the continuing disaster in Bhopal.
The leaders condemned the Central and state government's continued collusion with Union Carbide and its current owner, The Dow Chemical Company, USA. They criticized the government for failing in its duty to hold Dow Chemical accountable for its continuing liabilities in Bhopal. They demanded immediate stoppage of Dow-Corning's proposed Silicone plant in Pune and blacklisting of Dow by all government agencies.
The leaders also condemned the continued negligence of the central and state governments towards providing facilities for health care and rehabilitation to the survivors of the disaster and their children. They said that the reports of the Supreme Court appointed Monitoring Committee on the condition of the hospitals for the survivors were a damning indictment of the state government. The leaders demanded that the central government set up a National Medical Commission with adequate authority and resources to provide medical care and economic rehabilitation to the survivors and their children.
The leaders were sharply critical of official apathy with regard to the supply of clean water to the communities next to the abandoned Union Carbide factory whose ground water is contaminated with toxic chemicals. They pointed out that in May 2004 the Supreme Court had directed the state government to provide clean water to these communities. According to the leaders, the supply of water in the last 18 months has been less than one fifth of the required amount and there is yet no plan for laying down pipelines to bring water from Kolar reservoir.
The activist leaders said that the recent order of the MP High Court has vindicated their stand that the work carried out by Hyderabad based M/s Ramky Limited under the MP Pollution Control Board was unsafe and unscientific. The leaders asserted that they will not allow the chemical waste stockpile inside the Union Carbide premises to be taken out for burial in the landfill in Peethampur near Indore or for incineration in Gujarat . Both these technologies of hazardous waste disposal are undafe and unscientific, they said. According to them Dow Chemical should be made to carry away the highly toxic material, in and around the Carbide factory to USA and clean up the contaminated soil and ground water in Bhopal.
The organizations said that they were opposed to the state government's proposal to build a memorial of the disaster because the government was complicit in the crime against the people of Bhopal and has no moral authority. They pointed out that the victims of the disaster remain totally excluded from the planning of the memorial and that the expenditure of Rs 100 Crores towards building the memorial was unjustified given the paucity of funds for medical care and rehabilitation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21st ANNIVERSARY DEMANDS OF THE SURVIVORS OF THE UNION CARBIDE DISASTER
As the current owner of Union Carbide
The Dow Chemical Corporation Must:
1.FACE TRIAL: Ensure that Union Carbide and Warren Anderson present themselves in the Indian courts, and cease to abscond from the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Bhopal.
2.PROVIDE LONG TERM HEALTH CARE: Provide for medical rehabilitation of the persons exposed to toxic gases and contaminated groundwater and their children. This includes medical care, health monitoring and necessary research studies. The company must provide all information on the health consequences of the leaked gases and contaminants in the ground water.
3.CLEAN UP THE POISON: Clean up toxic wastes and contaminated groundwater in and around the Union Carbide factory site. Provide safe water to the community, and just compensation for those who have been injured or made ill by this contamination and/or have had their property damaged.
4.PROVIDE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SUPPORT: Provide income opportunities to victims who can not pursue their usual trade as a result of exposure-induced illnesses and income support to families rendered destitute due to death or incapacitation of the breadwinner of the family.
The Indian Government Must:
1. Stop Dow – Corning from starting a Silicone polymer production unit in Pune.
2. Set up a National Commission on Bhopal with the participation of non-government doctors and scientists and representatives of survivors for long term health monitoring, research, care and rehabilitation of the survivors of the disaster and their children at least for the next thirty years.
3. Take immediate steps to send an amended request for extradition of Warren Anderson and for extradition of the authorized representative of the Union Carbide Corporation. Set up a special prosecution cell in the Central Bureau of Investigation to expedite the pending criminal case against the Indian subsidiary and Indian officials of Union Carbide.
4. Ensure Dow's liability for on-site and off-site cleanup and payment of compensation for damage to health and property. Submit an amicus brief in US court in support in support of the plaintiffs.
5. Set up a panel of scientists for independent and expert assessment of soil and groundwater contamination. Publish ICMR toxicological and clinical reports.
6. Blacklist Dow and Union Carbide for purchases by government departments.
7. Ensure that BMHT continues to provide free treatment for gas survivors even after the 8-year deadline.
8. Declare December 3rd as a National Day of Mourning for the victims of industrial disasters. The disaster in Bhopal must be made part of textbooks in school and university education in the country.
The State Government of Madhya Pradesh Must:
1. Supply safe drinking water through Kolar Pipeline in communities affected by Union Carbide's contamination.
2. Not send chemical wastes from the Union Carbide factory for landfilling or for incineration.
3. Ensure free treatment of patients from communities affected by ground water contamination and persons born to exposed parents in gas rahat hospitals.
4. Build memorial without proper cleanup of the Union Carbide factory site.
5. Present a White Paper on expenditures made, programs carried out and results obtained in the last twenty years with regard to the relief and rehabilitation of the survivors.
The United States Government Must:
1. Send Warren Anderson and authorized representatives of Union Carbide to stand trial in Indian court.
2. Release Diane Wilson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events organized by survivors and support organizations on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal
2nd Dec 2005
11:00 am : Inauguration of Bhopal survivors' museum Yaad-e-Haadsaa
At : 44, Sant Kanwar Ram Nagar, Berasia Road (Behind DIG Bangla)
12.00 noon : Exhibition on activities of Sambhavna and screening of film made by community health workers of Sambhavna
6.00 pm : Candlelight vigil by Sambhavna staff and others
At : Roshanpura Square, New Market
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm : Torchlight rally led by children disabled due to ground water contamination
From : Ganesh Temple ( Chhola Road) to Mother statue in front of Union Carbide Factory
3rd Dec 2005
11 am : Rally by people poisoned by Dow-Union Carbide with floats and effigy of Dow Chemical
From : Bharat Talkies Flyover -Hamidia Road-Bus Stand-Dharmkanta - Ganesh Mandir-Union Carbide Factory
2 pm : Civic felicitation and Prayer Meeting
At : Mother statue in front of Union Carbide Factory
Posted by Shevardnadze at 10:07 AM | Comments (0)
Seattle Voices Concern over Human Rights Disaster
Declares Dec. 3rd “Bhopal Remembrance Day”
The Seattle City Council proclaimed last week that December 3, 2005 will be observed as Bhopal Remembrance Day. The date marks the 21st anniversary of the world’s worst industrial disaster: a chemical leak at a Union Carbide facility in Bhopal, India. Seattle becomes the second city to declare support for the victims, following a resolution passed by the San Francisco City Council in April of last year.
The City proclamation observed that the inaction of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and Dow Chemical is counter to Seattle’s aims for environmental sustainability. Seattle City Council member and proclamation sponsor Nick Licata said, "All of us must be accountable for our actions. If Dow eludes accountability for its liabilities in Bhopal, why should American citizens expect any corporation to accept responsibility for harm they may cause in the United States?"
The Seattle Coalition for Justice in Bhopal, who initiated this action, is holding an event on December 3rd to commemorate the Remembrance Day. A short film and moment of silence will be held at 4pm on December 3, at St. James’ Cathedral at 803 Terry Ave., Seattle. This event is part of a larger event on women confronting globalization which starts at 2pm.
The proclamation marks an important step in the rising demand for justice over the Bhopal issue, whose victims feel betrayed by the actions of Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.
“Bhopal can happen in our backyard. As global citizens it is our responsibility to address these issues whenever possible and our local coalition felt we could do our part to call attention to this human rights abuse,” said Sandhya Banda, member of the Seattle Coalition for Justice in Bhopal.
On December 3rd, 1984, thousands of people in Bhopal, India, were gassed to death after a catastrophic chemical leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant. More than 150,000 people were left severely disabled—of whom 20,000 have since died of their injuries—in a disaster now widely acknowledged as the world’s worst-ever industrial disaster. None of the six safety systems at the plant were functional, and Union Carbide’s own documents prove the company cut corners on safety and maintenance in order to save money. Today, twenty-one years after the Bhopal disaster, those who survived the gas remain sick, and the chemicals that Union Carbide left behind in Bhopal have poisoned the water supply and contributed to an epidemic of cancers, birth defects, and other afflictions. With its purchase of Union Carbide in 2001, Dow Chemical assumed Carbide’s environmental and criminal liabilities.
For more information see:
www.amnestyusa.org/business/bhopal.pdf - Amnesty International report on the disaster
www.bhopal.net
www.aiwashington.org – for details on the event
Posted by Shevardnadze at 06:12 AM | Comments (0)