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June 30, 2007
Government assures Dow of immunity in return for investments
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE IN BHOPAL, JUNE 30, 2007
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: MANMOHAN SINGH, KAMAL NATH, ANDREW LIVERIS OF DOW CHEMICAL, ROTTEN TATA. CLICK FOR FULL SIZE IMAGE.
NEW DELHI. June 30, 2007 -- Organisations of survivors of the December 1984 Bhopal disaster today strongly condemned Commerce and Industries Minister Kamalnath for his recent public assurance to indemnify Dow Chemical, in Washington DC, USA. They charged him and the Prime Minister with selling out to Dow Chemical, current owner of Union Carbide.
PMO Files obtained by survivors' organisations from the Prime Minister's Office through Right to Information reveal that the Prime Minister is involved in plans that would allow Dow Chemical to walk away from its liabilities in Bhopal, including clean up of the contaminated soil and ground water and paying compensation for the health damages caused to more than 20,000 people due to exposure to toxic contaminants in their drinking water. The “PMO Files” have been uploaded to: www.bhopal.net/pmo.html.
In a note to the PMO, Mr. Kamal Nath says: ". . .with a view to sending an appropriate signal to Dow Chemicals, which is exploring investing substantially in India, I would urge that a group under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary be formed to look into the matter in a holistic manner . . .in a similar manner as was done with respect to the Enron Corproation with respect to Dabhol Power Corporation.'' The latter refers to an out-of-court settlement with Enron.
Prompted by letters written by Ratan Tata to the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Mr. P. Chidambaram too have written letters to the PM recommending taking the matter out of court. The bone of contention is an application submitted by the Ministry of Chemicals in the Madhya Pradesh High Court appealing to the Court to order Dow to deposit Rs. 100 crores against initial payment for costs of remediation. Dow Chemical has said that it will not invest in India unless this application is withdrawn.
A note by the Cabinet Secretary dated 6 April, 2007 is categorical about what the Government's course of action should be: "Given the scope for future investments in the sector, it stands to reason that instead of continuing to agitate these issues in court for a protracted period, due consideration be given to the prospect of settling these issues appropriately. An important aim is to remove uncertainties and pave the way for promoting investments in the sector." The Note recommends reconstituting the Group of Ministers on Bhopal with appropriate changes in its mandate to address the issue of exonerating Dow.
As 100% owner of Union Carbide, Dow Chemical is liable for the clean up of toxic contamination of soil and ground water in and around the abandoned factory in Bhopal, said Sarangi. He said that this liability followed from the "polluter pays" principle which is the law of the land both in India and USA. According to Mr Sarangi, Dow Chemical is also liable for the health damages, including congenital malformations, caused to the 25, 000 people living near the Carbide factory who have been drinking water laced with toxic chemicals and heavy metals for the last 15 years or more.
"The PMO files contain evidence that top level politicians and bureaucrats are conniving with Indian and US corporations to shut the book on the world's worst industrial disaster and its long-suffering victims without addressing the pending issues," said Rashida Bee, leader of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh.
Indeed, one letter reveals that Dow was advised by none less than the PM's principal secretary to meet and seek the opinion of congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Singhvi is also the legal counsel for Dow in the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Posted by bhola at 05:06 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2007
Bhopal survivors condemn government of West Bengal for colluding with Dow Chemical
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
June 05, 2007
PRESS STATEMENT
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata today, a delegation of organizations of survivors of the December 1984 gas disaster in Bhopal condemned the West Bengal state government and the CPM party for inviting American multinational Dow Chemical to the proposed chemical hub at Haldia / Nandigram. They said that as owner of Union Carbide Corporation since 2001, Dow Chemical is responsible for the poisoning of ground water, soil and causing health damages to over 25,000 people in Bhopal. Despite repeated demands from survivors’ organisations for the last six years, Dow Chemical refuses to clean up the over 5,000 tons of chemical waste that lie in and around the abandoned Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal.
Yesterday 21 members of the Bhopal survivor organisations along with four members of Youth for Social change, Chennai and two members of PUCL, Tamilnadu visited two areas of Nandigram. The group met with victims of firing, beating and rape by West Bengal police and CPM cadres in Gokulnagar where four people were killed on March 14th and looting and burning down of 62 houses by CPM cadres on May 29th in Satangabadi. Along with the West Bengal state government and CPM party the organisations blamed Dow Chemical for the violence in Nandigram and said that it is a premonition of the violence that would be let loose by Dow Chemical if it starts producing hazardous chemicals in this area.
The Bhopal survivors’ organisations stated that as per the “polluter pays” principle, Dow Chemical is legally liable to pay for clean up and pay compensation for health injuries including unusually high rates of congenital malformations due to contaminated ground water. They said that in Madhya Pradesh High Court, the Indian government has sought Rs. 100 crores from Dow Chemical as an advance for cleaning up hazardous waste from in and around the Bhopal factory. However, through its counsel, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Dow Chemical has told the High Court that because it is a corporation registered in USA it will not be bound by any decision of the MP High Court.
Union Carbide Corporation which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical is absconding from charges of manslaughter, grievous assault and other serious offences related to the world’s worst industrial disaster in Bhopal District Court.
The Bhopal survivors organisations said that it is utterly shameful that the West Bengal government is inviting Dow Chemical that is evading its Bhopal related liabilities. The organisations shared copies of a letter they had sent to the CPM Polit Bureau in December 2005 calling upon the leadership of the party to deny entry of Dow Chemical in to West Bengal. They said that they have yet to receive a response to their letter and the West Bengal government is going ahead with its plans to invite Dow Chemical to Nandigram / Haldia. The organisations stated that CPM’s open support to Dow Chemical is particularly reprehensible because the CPM and its affiliates have been part of the campaign against Dow Chemical on the issues of the Bhopal disaster.
The organisations presented copies of documents obtained from the Prime Minister’s office that clearly show that Dow Chemical has promised to invest billion of dollars in India provided the Indian government does not hold Dow liable for environmental and health damages in Bhopal.
The survivors’ organisations informed that their supporters in USA will be protesting against the participation of West Bengal Industries Minister, Mr Nirupam Sen at the meeting of US-India Business Council in Washington D.C. on 27th June where Mr Sen is expected to strike a deal with Dow Chemical Company regarding investment in Haldia / Nandigram.
The organisations expressed satisfaction that at the recently held National Convention on Nandigram & SEZs in Kolkata, organisations from all over the country have resolved to stop Dow Chemical’s investment at Nandigram / Haldia or any where else in the country.
Rashida Bee, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh
+99 (0)9302432298
Syed M Irfan
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
+99 (0)9329026319
Rachna Dhingra, Satinath Sarangi
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
+99 (0)9626167369
Contact : House No. 60, Near Cold Storage, Union Carbide Road, Bhopal 462 001
Please keep visiting www.bhopal.net for updates on the continuing disaster in Bhopal. To take action against those responsible please visit www.studentsforbhopal.org
Posted by bhola at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)