BY JAYASHANKAR MENON, REPORTING FROM CHENNAI
in the Asian Tribune.
CHENNAI, 29 May 2005
The unholy alliance between Indian Oil Corporation and the controversial Union Carbide Corporation – the infamous company, which killed more than 20,000 persons in Bhopal in a poisonous gas leak – to share technology that had triggered a nationwide protest, have now taken a new turn with the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal deciding to start the anti-IOC campaign from Federal Petroleum Miniser Mani shankar Aiyar’s constituency of Myladuthurai today.
The ICJB and its millions of sympathizers had launched a nation wide boycott of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in protest of IOC’s proposal to source Union Carbide’s technology for its Mono Ethylene Glycol unit at Panipet in Haryana from Dow Chemicals. Dow Chemicals is now the owners of the controversial Union Carbide Corporation, which caused Bhopal tragedy.
Nityanand Jayaraman, council member of ICJB, said here that the IOC has been keenly planning to bring back the wretched Union Carbide, now Dow Chemicals, to the country and this move has to be stopped at any cost.
After many representations the Federal Minister Aiyar is not averse to Dow Chemicals coming to India and he is not moving a single finger against this move.
“Because of this indifferent attitude of Aiyar we have decided to start the anti-IOC campaign rally from his constituency itself’, Jayaraman said.
‘Union Carbide is a fugitive from justice in India, where it is wanted in connection with the deaths of thousands of people from Bhopal in the 1984 gas leak and a case is still pending before the State Magistrate Court against them and the company has never appeared before the court of law in India,’ he asserted.
We had requested IOC, the Ministry of Petroleum, the Ministry of Chemicals and various other Government bodies to drop the plans of inviting the mass killer again to India.
Shahid Noor, the 29-year-old, orphaned by the Bhopal gas leak tragedy, now leads an organization of 19 Bhopal disaster orphans, said that the anti-IOC campaign in Bhopal would get huge support.
One of the biggest associations in Madhya Pradesh, the Private Bus Owners Association and other associations like Truck and Mini-lorry association has already announced their support to the anti-IOC campaign.
Noor will lead a demonstration in Petroleum Minister’s constituency protesting against Aiyar’s failure to cancel the deal and blacklist Dow Chemicals.
Share this:
