Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
Bhopal Ki Aawaaz
March 7, 2007
Press Statement
Survivors of the Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal today blocked traffic in one of the main city crossings and burnt an effigy of the Chief Minister to protest against the apathetic attitude of the state government towards the suffering of the people affected by the American multinational’s poisonous chemicals.
The protest sought to draw the attention of the chief minister towards the ongoing indefinite fast by six survivors and their supporters for relief and rehabilitation of the survivors of the disaster and those exposed to ground water contamination due to hazardous waste from the factory.
This evening a delegation consisting of Com D Raja (09818907430)General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, Professor Suroopa Mukherjee and Shalini Sharma are scheduled to meet with Mr Ramvilas Paswan, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers on behalf of the four organizations who are leading the campaign of the Bhopal survivors. During the discussion with the delegation Mr. Paswan called up the survivors on fast and ensured them that tomorrow he will talk to the Prime Minister on the problems of Bhopal gas survivors. Gas survivors are demanding that Chief Minister meets with them.
This morning the fasting protestors refused to meet with Minister of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr Babulal Gaur who had sent word through an officer. They said that the Minister had shown nothing but indifference towards the survivors and was more a part of the problem than the solution.
They pointed out that in August 2005 the minister had promised safe water supply to 250 women from the communities affected by ground water contamination who had tied “rakhi” on his wrist seeking protection from Carbide’s poisons. Three months later when a delegation of the women went to complain that not a drop of the promised water had reached them, the minister filed criminal cases against them.
In January this year when Rashida Bee, one of the survivors’ leaders currently on the third day of indefinite fast, went to meet with Mr Gaur, the Minister kept his eyes closed throughout the meeting and refused to look at the information she had brought on children with congenital malformations born to gas and contamination exposed parents.
Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
94256 88215
Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
93290 26319
Shahid Noor
Bhopal ki Aawaaz
98261 82226
Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
98261 67369
[] Contact : House No. 60, Near Cold Storage, Union Carbide Road, Chhola, Bhopal
Please visit www.bhopal.net for more information on the campaign for justice in Bhopal

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