August 9, 2005
Press Statement
On the occasion of the anniversary of the “Quit India” movement, four survivors organizations in Bhopal held a rally today in front of the Union Carbide factory to launch the “Accept Responsibility for Bhopal or Quit India” campaign against American multinational Dow Chemical the current owner of Union Carbide Corporation.
Over one thousand residents of the communities whose ground water have been poisoned by Union Carbide’s chemical waste, demanded that Dow Chemical clean up the poisonous chemicals in the ground water and soil in and around the factory, and pay compensation for the health and property damages caused by this toxic contamination.
The participants of the rally declared that they will not allow government scientific agencies to move hazardous chemical wastes from the factory for burning in an incinerator or burial in a landfill. They said that both these disposal technologies would further poison the environment and affect the health and lives of people in Gujarat and in Pithampur.
Speakers at the rally including Rashida Bee, Syed M Irfan, Hazra Bee and others said that while the domination of East India Company ended in 1947, today the country is being enslaved by multinational corporations. According to them, the recent brutalities unleashed by the management of Honda are no different from the atrocities of the British rulers.
The leaders pointed out that while Union Carbide Corporation continues to abscond Indian courts, it also continues to sell its products in India through a Mumbai based company called Mega Visa
Marketing Solutions Ltd. This could not be possible without the connivance of the Government of India.
Multinationals such as Union Carbide and Dow Chemical are profiting through poisoning the environment and damaging the health and lives of ordinary people. The speakers said there was need for revival of the spirit of the Quit India movement for the second battle the battle for freedom from the domination and pollution by multinationals.
Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
9303132298
Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
9329026319
Shahid Noor
Bhopal ki Aawaaz
9826182226
Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra,
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
9826167369
Contact :
House No. 12, Gali No. 2, Near Naseer Masjid, Bag Umrao Dulha, Bhopal 462 010
Share this:
