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February 28, 2008
Bhopal padayatra reaches Guna; survivors condemn Maharashtra police action against anti-Dow villagers
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE IN BHOPAL
PRESS RELEASE
Guna, Madhya Pradesh & New Delhi. 28 Feb. 08 -- Nine days and nearly 200 km into their march from Bhopal to New Delhi, Bhopal gas tragedy survivors today addressed a press conference at Guna, M.P. They condemned the Central and Maharashtra State Government for their support to the business plans of Union Carbide – which was responsible for the 1984 Bhopal disaster – and its new owner Dow Chemical.
Last night, more than 1000 villagers gathered at the site of a proposed Dow R&D facility in Shinde Vasuli, near Pune, and cut off access for trucks carrying construction material to the site in the face of intense police mobilization. The blockade continues despite the arrests of more than 150 villagers. Ten days ago, the villagers voluntarily lifted a month-old blockade honouring an assurance by the Collector that construction work will not commence until an expert committee clarifies the nature of work to be carried out by Dow at the site. Villagers claim Dow has illegally occupied village land. "Going by Dow Chemical's track record of polluting and evading liability, notably in Bhopal, we are determined to not allow them to repeat their destruction in our village. Starting today, people working with Dow will receive no food or water from any of the neighbouring villages," declared the 15-village Bhamchandragarh Bachao Warkari Shetkari Sangarsh Samiti (Save Bhamchandragarh Farmers Agitation Committee). Led by Justice (Retd) Kholse Patil, the Samiti has the support of Punekars organized under the banner "Kick Dow Out; Save Pune" campaign.
"The behaviour of the Maharashtra Government is deplorable. As if arresting people with legitimate concerns were not enough, the Government is openly siding with a company that is sheltering Union Carbide, has bribed Indian officials, has lied to prospective partners, and refused to clean up the contamination in Bhopal," said Syed M. Irfan, of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangarsh Samiti.
Fifty people, including gas tragedy survivors, water contamination-affected people and their supporters, are on an 800 km march seeking to meet the Prime Minister and remind him of his unkept promises. In 2006, Bhopal residents had trekked to Delhi and forced the Prime Minister to accept their demands for special action towards social, economic and medical rehabilitation, provision of clean drinking water and legal action against the offending corporations. However, the Prime Minister has done virtually nothing to meet his promise. A coordination committee to oversee the implementation of the PM's promise failed to achieve anything over the last two years. "The Committee could make recommendations, but it had no powers to force the State Government to implement the recommendations," said second-time walker Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action. "Ordinary committees will not do. We will not return from Delhi this time unless the PM sets up a specially empowered commission to address the rehabilitation issues in Bhopal."
Already, international pressure against the Indian Government's hardline stance against Bhopal survivors is mounting. More than 500 faxes from at least 14 countries has flooded the PMO. Actions and demonstrations at various Indian embassies and consulates are planned. Students at IIT Madras and Kanpur have contributed more than Rs. 15000 towards expenses for the march.
Guna was chosen as an important stop en route because the presence of heavy industries there. The small city in Madhya Pradesh hosts two major hazardous installations, including a fertilizer factory, and a transit terminal of GAIL's petroleum pipeline from Hazira, Gujarat.
For more information, contact:
Rachna Dhingra (Guna): 09826167369
Shalini Sharma (New Delhi): 011 26195534
Nityanand Jayaraman: 0944482401
Posted by tim at 01:39 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2008
Bhopalis Launch 800-km March for Justice; Announce Global Stir
20 February, 2008. NEW DELHI – More than 60 Bhopal survivors and victims of Union Carbide's water contamination, set off on an 800 km march to New Delhi from Bhopal at 1 p.m. today. At least 40 more are expected to join the padayatra (march) within two days. Anticipated in the capital on 23 March, the marchers aim to meet the Prime Minister to remind him of his unkept promises regarding rehabilitation of the survivors, clean-up of the environment, provision of clean water and punishment of the guilty corporations.
This is the second such march in two years. Some marchers, like 70-year old Gulab Bee and Shanti Bhai, are veterans from the earlier march. In that instance, the Prime Minister had refused to meet the Bhopalis even after the foot-weary marchers arrived in Delhi. Only after a 21-day sit in strike by the Bhopalis, including several encounters with the Delhi police, and a 6-day fast did Mr. Manmohan Singh meet the protestors and concede their demands.
"After all that trouble, the Prime Minister's word has proven worthless. Two years after his promise, the lot of the Bhopalis has gone from bad to worse," said Rashida Bee, leader of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh (Bhopal Gas Affected Women Stationery Workers Association). "Our effort this year would be far more difficult for the Government to ignore," she said.
The campaign's substantial international supporter base has assured the survivors that they will picket Indian embassies overseas. "The authorities can expect a busy time handling phone calls, faxes and demonstrations by Bhopal supporters. It is unacceptable that survivors of the world's worst disaster have to walk 800 kilometres two times in as many years asking for their basic rights," said Tim Edwards of the UK Campaign for Justice in Bhopal. An online fax action targeting the Prime Minister's office has already recorded more than 40 petitions sent to the PMO in less than a day.
The three survivors and support organizations – Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangarsh Morcha and Bhopal Group for Information and Action – that are leading the padayatra have demanded that the Prime Minister set up an empowered commission on Bhopal. The Commission would pursue long-term medical care and socio-economic rehabilitation of Bhopal victims and their children. Dr. P.M. Bhargava, founder of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, and Dr. Sneh Bhargav, former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, feature prominently on the list of 10 or so eminent citizens suggested as members for the Commission.
Rather than deliver on his promise to the Bhopalis, the Government has actively pursued Dow Chemical's interests. Right to Information records reveal that the PMO is directly involved in attempts to shield Dow from legal liability relating to environmental contamination, and that the Ministry of Commerce has approved the sale of Union Carbide's Unipol technology to Reliance Industries. Union Carbide was proclaimed absconder in 1992, and all its assets are subject to attachment.
Bhopalis are demanding that this approval be revoked, and licenses given to four pesticides fraudulently registered by Dow Chemical after paying bribes to agriculture ministry officials be cancelled. They have also made it clear that the Government should give up attempts to shield Dow from environmental liability, and work to hold the company liable for environmental remediation and compensation to those affected by the toxic water.
For more information, contact:
Shalini Sharma: 09891442037
Nityanand Jayaraman: 09444082401
Posted by tim at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2008
100 Bhopal survivors to begin epic march to Delhi
February 18, 2008
Press Statement
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangarsh Morcha
Bhopal Group for Information & Action
Over a hundred Bhopalis poisoned by Union Carbide’s toxic chemicals and their supporters will start their march on foot to New Delhi from February 20 to remind the Prime Minister of the promises he did not keep. The people in the Padyatra 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 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.
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 for 15 days and then go on a hunger strike for six days just to meet 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 alleges that that the Prime Minister has kept none of his promises and that in the last two years the PMO 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 US and UK. Concerned citizens from many countries have already begun sending postcards and faxes to the Prime Minister asking him to “walk his talk”.
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 kilometer long march.
Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
94256 88215
Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
93290 26319
Rachna Dhingra, Satinath Sarangi,
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
98261 67369
Contact: House No. S-3, Tulsi Towers, Patel Nagar (Near Sangam Talkies), Bhopal 462 001
Posted by tim at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)