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ICJB Press Releases, Statements, Letters

Bhopali Children Protest at the Prime Minister’s Office

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27 June 2011
Press Statement
One hundred Bhopali children affected by Union Carbide’s poisons demonstrated in front
of the Prime Minister’s office today, demanding medical care, rehabilitation and poison-free
environment. Wearing signs with words like Justice and Izzat (dignity), members of the Bhopal-
based Children Against Dow-Carbide held a banner with their demands in front of the North
Block office.
The children said that this was the fourth time they were trying to draw the attention of the Prime
Minister towards governmental inaction on environmental and health rehabilitation schemes in
Bhopal.
“Since 2006, we have sought help from Dr. Manmohan Singh for the children of Bhopal who
are still denied medical care and rehabilitation and who are still forced to drink poisoned water.”
said Safreen Khan one of the founders of. Children Against Dow Carbide. Safreen charged the
Government with displaying more care for the financial health of Union Carbide and its owner
Dow Chemical than for the children of Bhopal.
Manoj Yadav from the community affected by ground water contamination by Union Carbide’s
hazardous waste, said that while there were many children and adults with diseases caused by the
poisons, they were denied free treatment at government hospitals.
Yasmin Khan whose parents were affected by the Union Carbide’s poisonous gases in December
1984 and now lives in the area with contaminated ground water said that hundreds of children
are being born with congenital malformations to parents with exposure to poisons. She said that
the government has not made any arrangement to provide rehabilitation for these children. “The
Government should ensure that these children get a fair chance at living a life of dignity.”
Yasmin said.
Young leaders of the Bhopali children said that many of the congenital deformities are
reversible. Corrective surgeries can help children with physical deformities. Some mentally- and
physically-challenged children too can be helped to lead normal lives if special-care institutions
are set up and run.
The children pointed out that despite a 2005 order of the Supreme Court of India the people
living next to Union Carbide’s abandoned factory were not being supplied clean water. A child
from these communities, Asma said that thousands of tonnes of toxic waste from the factory lies
buried next to their home. “The Prime Minister must make Dow Chemical clean up the poisons
or they will continue to harm generations.” said Asma.
Safreen Khan
Children Against Dow-Carbide
Contact: 09993185134, Email: justiceinbhopal@yahoo.co.in

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ICJB Press Releases, Statements, Letters

100 Bhopali Children demand medical care, rehabiliation and poison free environment

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27 June 2011

Press Statement

One hundred Bhopali children affected by Union Carbide’s poisons demonstrated in front of the Prime Minister’s office today, demanding medical care, rehabilitation and poison-free environment. Wearing signs with words like Justice and Izzat (dignity), members of the Bhopal-based Children Against Dow-Carbide held a banner with their demands in front of the North Block office.

Bhopali Children outside Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi

The children said that this was the fourth time they were trying to draw the attention of the Prime Minister towards governmental inaction on environmental and health rehabilitation schemes in Bhopal.

“Since 2006, we have sought help from Dr. Manmohan Singh for the children of Bhopal who are still denied medical care and rehabilitation and who are still forced to drink poisoned water.” said Safreen Khan one of the founders of. Children Against Dow Carbide. Safreen charged the Government with displaying more care for the financial health of Union Carbide and its owner Dow Chemical than for the children of Bhopal.

Manoj Yadav from the community affected by ground water contamination by Union Carbide’s hazardous waste, said that while there were many children and adults with diseases caused by the poisons, they were denied free treatment at government hospitals.

Yasmin Khan whose parents were affected by the Union Carbide’s poisonous gases in December 1984 and now lives in the area with contaminated ground water said that hundreds of children are being born with congenital malformations to parents with exposure to poisons. She said that the government has not made any arrangement to provide rehabilitation for these children. “The Government should ensure that these children get a fair chance at living a life of dignity.” Yasmin said.

Young leaders of the Bhopali children said that many of the congenital deformities are reversible. Corrective surgeries can help children with physical deformities. Some mentally- and physically-challenged children too can be helped to lead normal lives if special-care institutions are set up and run.

The children pointed out that despite a 2005 order of the Supreme Court of India the people living next to Union Carbide’s abandoned factory were not being supplied clean water. A child from these communities, Asma said that thousands of tonnes of toxic waste from the factory lies buried next to their home. “The Prime Minister must make Dow Chemical clean up the poisons or they will continue to harm generations.” said Asma.

 

Safreen Khan

Children Against Dow-Carbide

Contact: 09993185134, Email: justiceinbhopal@yahoo.co.in

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ICJB Press Releases, Statements, Letters

100 children rally against Gas Relief Minister Gaur

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Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
November 17, 2008
*Press Statement*
Over a hundred children from the communities near the abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal today set fire to an effigy of the Minister for Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation at Neelam Park. They appealed to all citizens poisoned by Union Carbide to do their best to ensure that the Minister is not re-elected from his constituency that includes areas contaminated by Union Carbide’s poisonous chemical waste.
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Photos: Prakash Hatvalne
The children said that because of their age they can not cast their vote but the outcome of the election could potentially influence their future in a big way. Ashsish (13) from Shiv Nagar said that if people vote for Mr Babulal Gaur in this election they will be condemning themselves and their children to a toxic future. Rafat (14) from Gupta Colony said that the people in the polluted areas have voted for Mr. Gaur eight times in the past, yet he has always neglected the people here. She said that four years ago the Supreme Court of India had directed Mr. Gaur’s government to supply clean water in these areas but because of his neglect till today people are forced to drink poisoned water.
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Sarita (14) from Prem Nagar said that too many children in the polluted areas are being born with physical and mental disabilities. There are children with damaged brains, with cleft lips and missing palates, with their fingers all joined together, with twisted limbs being born in families that have used the local groundwater from hand pumps for many years. She said that when people went to request Mr Gaur to arrange for medical treatment and rehabilitation for the children born with disabilities he refused to listen to them.
Vicky (12) said that Shiv Nagar where he lived with his family was more than 2 kilometers away from Union Carbide’s factory and because of continued neglect by Mr Gaur the poisons had spread over the years and reached his community. He said that Mr. Gaur has thrice been the Minister in charge of relief and rehabilitation of Union Carbide’s victims and once he was even the chief minister and till today he has not done anything to improve the conditions of the poison affected people or to protect future generations from deadly poisons.
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Yasmeen (13) from Gupta Colony said that she had walked all the way from Bhopal to New Delhi in February – March this year asking for rehabilitation and justice for the people poisoned by Union Carbide. “We won our battle after five months of struggle and the Prime Minister said that an Empowered Commission on Bhopal will be set up but now Mr Gaur is opposing the setting up of this Commission” said Yasmin who is determined to do her share to defeat Mr. Gaur in the election.
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Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
9329026319
Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra,
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
9826167369

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ICJB Press Releases, Statements, Letters

"Right to Live" dharna: parents of babies born malformed due to Carbide's poisons demand the children should receive free medical care

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Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
Bhopal Ki Aaawaaz
February 25, 2007
PRESS STATEMENT
At a press conference in Bhopal today, parents of 14 children born with congenital abnormalities attributable to exposure to Union Carbide’s poisons demanded free medical care for their children and monthly pension of at least Rs. 1000 per month from the state government. 10 of these children had been successfully treated by the Chingari Trust set up by Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla, leaders of survivors organisations sitting on dharna for the last five days demanding medical care, economic and social rehabilitation and protection from Union Carbide’s poisons from the state government.
Chromosomal aberrations have been found among the people exposed to Union Carbide’s toxic gases giving rise to apprehensions of birth defects among children of gas exposed parents. Several scientific studies by government and non-government agencies have confirmed the presence of several birth defect causing pesticides, chemicals and heavy metals in the ground water in and around the abandoned Union Carbide factory.
Studies by the MP Pollution Control Board have shown that pesticides such as endrin, dieldrin, carbaryl, methoxychlor and others that can cause birth defects are present in the ground water samples collected from the area. International environmental organization Greenpeace reported finding tetra-, penta- and hexa- chlorobenzene as well as lead and mercury in soil and ground water samples, all of which can cause birth defects.
The Chingari Trust was set up with a fund of Rs 56 lakhs that Rashida Bee and Champa Devi received with the Goldman Environment Prize awarded to them in 2004 for leading the campaign of the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster. Last year the Trust identified 100 children with different kinds of birth defects in the gas and contaminated ground water exposed affected communities. 65 of these children were seen by medical specialists from New Delhi and Bhopal at a health camp in December 2006.
The specialists found that an unusually large number of children suffered from cerebral palsy that causes total disability. The doctors also found children with cleft lip and missing palate and with disabilities related to vision, hearing and mental functions. According to them a large number of these children could significantly benefit from surgical treatment and counseling.
Rashida Bee and Champa Devi have so far organized treatment for 10 children with limb deformities, cleft lips and missing palates in New Delhi and Bhopal. Last month they apprised the Minister of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation about the findings of the health camp and have urged the state government to arrange for medical treatment of children born with malformations due to Union Carbide’s poisons.
The four organisations that are determined to continue with their dharna till the state government concedes to the demands of their “Right to Life” campaign have called for medical treatment of children with congenital malformations and monthly pensions to their families. They are also demanding monthly pensions for women who were widowed by the disaster, persons who are too sick to earn a livelihood, survivor families living below the poverty line and those above 60 years with no family to depend on.
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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