1.      Name: Abdul Shakoor.

2.      Age: 60 years.

3.      Gas affected or contaminated water affected (details): I am affected by the gas leak from the Carbide factory.

4.      Address: At the time of the gas leak we used to live at House No 17, Gali No. 1, Ginnori, Near Kamala Park, Bhopal. About 16 years back we left Ginnori and shifted to House No.3 Gondi pura, Gandhi Nagar, Near Central Jail, Bhopal

5.      Occupation: I work as a mason at different construction sites in Bhopal town.

6.      Life worries (indebtedness, illness in the family, livelihood): I am not able to do any heavy work; I find difficulty in walking, as I get breathless. My eye sight has gone weak even after putting on spectacles I am not able to see clearly even though the doctors have told me that I do not have cataract or glaucoma. I have also developed some kind of blisters on my hands and feet and these itches a lot. I am not able to work regularly because of the brittleness after any kind of hard work everything goes dark in front of my eyes. My children were very small at the time of the gas leak; all of them were affected by the leak and suffered from swollen eyes and severe coughs. Their eyes used to water all time and had difficulty in breathing. Even now they suffer from the same symptoms. None of them are able to go to work regularly. The only thing all of us do regularly is go to the hospital. We go to the hospital at DIG bunglow and also to Hamidia Hospital. There the doctors do not know or they do not tell us what is specifically wrong with us. They just give us some pills, which do not seem to improve our condition. Due to the health problems my children and I are not able to go to work regularly and this affects our income. For our treatment I also had to take loans from many people, which I have been able to repay after a lot of trouble.

7.      Income and sources of income: I earn about Rs.100 to Rs.150.00 per day on the days I am able to go out and work. Sometimes I am not able to go out for 15 days in a month. The same applies to my children. They work as casual labourers at construction sites; due to their illness they also miss days. Altogether all of us together earn about four to five thousand a month.

8.      Compensation amount and how was it utilized: I have received interim relief of Rs. 200.00 per month and then later I got Rs. 50,000.00 in two installments. Some of the money was used for the marriage of my daughter and the rest was spent on medical treatment. Just few months back I had to spend more that Rs. 10,000.00 for the treatment of my son. He was suffering from panic attacks and convulsions. He was also bleeding from the mouth. One of my sons has not got any compensation, even though the gas affected him in 1984. We also have all the survey papers but even then his claim has been rejected. We do not know why it has been so.

9.      Deaths of family members, relatives, friends, neighbours, cause of death, date of death: I have lost my mother to the gas leak. She lived in Budhwara and died in the year 1993. She was affected by the gas leak and had the same symptoms as the rest of us. Four of my brothers have also died to the gas leak. The first died about a year after the leak, another died about two years later. One died about two years back and the last died ten months ago. A sister also died two years after the gas leak. All of them lived in Budhwara at the time of the gas leak.

10.     Illness due to disaster: At the time of the gas leak I was at home we suffered from burning of the yes as if chilli powder has been put in our eyes. We were not able to breath but some how we ran for our lives, even though we did not know where we were going. All of us suffered from burning sensation all over the body. We also have severe headache and heartburn. Even my children who are comparatively young suffer from weak eyes. Their eyes run all the time.

11.     Current Illness (due to gas exposure or exposure to contaminated water): the i9llness I gat from exposure to the gas continues to this day. Subsequently I have developed blisters on my hands and feet. These started a few years after the leak.

12.     Association with organizations: I have been involved with organizations like the Gas Pidith Mahila Udyog Sanghatan, and now I am mainly involved with the organization run by Rachna didi. I also involve myself with a group called Bhopal ki Awaaz.

13.     Participation in rallies, demonstrations, direct actions, fasts, how many, when was the first time, where was it Bhopal and elsewhere: I have actively participated in all the rallies organized by various groups. I have taken part in about 15 demonstrations held in Delhi. I have also participated in a demonstration in Mumbai. It has been a long struggle.

14.     Arrests, jail terms, beatings, legal suits: the police have never been soft on us who have been affected by the gas. I guess they are never soft on the poor. Many a times have the police beaten me during rallies and demonstration both in Bhopal and in Delhi. I have been arrested many times for putting my demands before the authorities.

15.     Activities (other than participating in protests) for improvement of the condition of survivors: after the gas leak I had helped people to bury their dead, I also helped people out at the hospital at the time of the gas leak. Now after all these years we all help out each other as and when the need arises. The government does not seem bothered about us, the gas company wants to wash their hands off us, in these circumstances the least we can do is help each other, however little that may be.

16.     Expectations from the padyatra: I go with the hope that the government will at least hear our problems and try to understand the situation here. That they will come to know how people are dying. I go with the hope that the government shall get us better compensation for all our sufferings. I hope that the government shall be able to force the gas company to clean up the mess they have done to the earth and soil in Bhopal. I am confident that we shall achieve our aim.

17.     Worries if any: I have no worries at all; in fact I am very enthusiastic of the padyatra. I am confident that this time the government has to listen to us. If it does not all of us will go on hunger strike till the government comes to our terms.