Press Release
February 25, 2019
At a Press Conference today leaders of four organizations of the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal announced that they will be waiting tomorrow at Neelam Park for the Minister of Bhopal Gas Relief to meet with them. They expect that the Minister will speak on the issue of Rs. 5 lakhs as compensation for the gas disaster to each survivor, while addressing over 1000 survivors who will await his arrival from 11 AM to 5 PM at Neelam Park as part of their “Intezaar-E-Insaf” (Waiting for Justice) programme.
Rashida Bee President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh said, “As leaders of survivors’ organizations we sought time from Arif Bhai to apprise him with our long standing demand on Rs. 5 lakhs compensation for each survivor of the gas disaster. Before he got elected, he had supported this demand. Arif Bhai said you gather 500 survivors and then I will come myself and talk to all of you. We even have a recording of this conversation”
“We also have evidence of Mr. Aqeel specifically supporting our demand of minimum Rs. 5 lakhs as compensation for each survivor of the gas disaster, before the election in November 2018. Now that he has been elected, we wish to know what he has done to ensure that most of the survivors who have got just Rs. 25 thousand as compensation so far, can get Rs. 5 lakhs as compensation — their just due.” said Nawab Khan of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha.
Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information & Action said that the Minister needs to immediately issue instructions for revision of figures of deaths and injuries caused by the disaster in the Curative Petition for additional compensation for the gas disaster. “The Petition is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court in April and the process of revising must begin now.” she said.
“We expected the newly elected government to be more responsive than the previous one. So far, we are rather disappointed. Our letters to the Chief Secretary and the Honourable Minister sent last month remain unanswered. We hope the Minister will come tomorrow to speak publicly about keeping his pre-election promise. ” said Nousheen Khan of Children Against Dow Carbide.
| Rashida Bi | Nawab Khan | Rachna Dhingra, Satinath Sarangi |
Nausheen Khan |
| Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh 9425688215 |
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha 9165347881 |
Bhopal Group for Information and Action 9826167369 |
Children Against Dow Carbide 7987353953 |
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