May 12, 2005 – For immediate release

Four organizations working among the survivors of the December ’84 Union Carbide disaster today strongly condemned yesterday’s decision of the Group of Ministers regarding inclusion of 20 non-affected municipal wards among those affected by the disaster. The organizations have jointly faxed a letter to the Prime Minister pointing out the absence of any scientific, legal or moral basis for declaring the 20 remaining wards as gas affected. In the letter to the Prime Minister, the organizations have alleged that the Chief Minister and his party’s petty political interests are the motivation behind the demand for inclusion of the 20 wards.
The organizations also condemned the Group of Ministers for wasting their time on irrelevant matters when such burning issues as medical relief and economic rehabilitation of survivors, clean up of soil and water, punishment of absconding criminals and supply of water to communities affected by ground water contamination remain to be addressed.
According to the leaders of the organizations the apex research institution in this country, Indian Council of Medical Research categorized 36 municipal wards of Bhopal as mildly, moderately and severely affected by the disaster and held that the remaining 20 wards were unaffected. The legal documents presented in different courts and the official plans for relief and rehabilitation in the last twenty years also mention 36 wards to be gas affected. The organizations have stated that if the government ignores the scientific facts and legal documentation and decides to include the 20 wards among those affected, they will oppose the decision through legal and extra legal means.
Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Shahid Noor
Bhopal ki Awaz
Rachna Dhingra Satinath Sarangi, ,
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
Contact :
House No. 12, Gali No. 2, Near Naseer Masjid, Bag Umrao Dulha, Bhopal
Tel: 9303132298, 9826167369, 9303122784, 9329026319

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