Signing in his own blood
Today, more than 200 people affected by Union Carbide’s poison’s wrote letters to Indian Oil Corporation headquarters in Delhi and also to Prime Minisiter. In the letter, people of Bhopal urged Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to abandon its plans to do business with Union Carbide or its new owner Dow Chemical. More than 20 letters were written with Bhopali blood and have been mailed to IOC and Prime Minister of India.
Goldman Prize winner Rasheeda Bee signs in her blood
The people’s demonstration urged people all over the country “DON’T FILL YOUR CAR WITH BHOPALI BLOOD REMEMBER BHOPAL, BOYCOTT INDIAN OIL”. They also distributed Bumper stickers to all vehicle owners.
In Bhopal Mr. Ilyas Ismail, President, Nagar Vahan Seva Sangh , Mr. Syed Israr Hassan, President, Auto Rickshaw Owner’s Association, Mr. Mohammed Anwar Khan, President, Private Bus Owner’s Association, Mr. Nawab Khan, President, Taxi Drivers Union (Congress), Mr. Baba Khan, President, Mini Truck Owner’s Association have supported the call for boycotting Indian Oil Corporation.
Indian Oil has recently approved a technology purchase agreement with Dow Chemical to source Union Carbide’s technology for the Mono Ethylene Glycol unit at its upcoming Naptha refinery in Panipat, Haryana. The campaigners also opposed government plans for disposal of hazardous chemical waste in and around the abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, saying that it will create yet another disaster in Bhopal.
IOC DEPOTS FACE BOYCOTT CALL
Trade unions protest against agreement with Dow Chemical
Chennai: Trade unions and women’s groups have called for a nationwide boycott of Indian Oil Corporation depots in protest against the proposed business links between the company and DOW chemical, which owns Union Carbide.
The boycott call comes in the wake of IOC’s reported approval for a technology purchase agreement with DOW chemicals to source Union Carbide’s Technology for the Mono-Ethylene-Glycol unit at its upcoming naphtha refinery in Panipat, Haryana.
At a press conference on Friday ,activists said the centre proposed to do business with Union Carbide, charged with culpable homicide for its role in the Bhopal gas disaster, instead of seeking to produce the company in court.
No scientific screening’
“How do we know if the technology is safe?” asked Nityanand Jayaraman of Corporate Accountability Desk.
“There has been no scientific screening or evaluation of the technology by Indian Oil. The lie in the procedure is that IOC said that the technology has to do nothing with Union Carbide”.
Shahid Noor, survivor of the gas tragedy who now heads an organisation working with orphans in Bhopal, said the people of Bhopal felt betrayed as the Government, instead of bringing the offenders to book, was setting up business ties with the company.
Tracing the history of the gas leak tragedy and its aftermath, he said that in spite of the over 20-year struggle for clean water and environment there was no respite.
Rally:
The activists, under the aegis of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, kicked off the campaign from Mayiladuthurai, constituency of Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer, on Saturday. They have planned a motorcycle rally from Mayiladuthurai to Chennai by the Madras Bulls, a club of Royal Enfield motorcycle users. The activists will stop at SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Cuddalore, which is facing the problem of air pollution.
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