Bhopal: The victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984, have still not got justice, a recent petition filed before a court here said. The offspring of the sufferers are yet to heal as the toxic waste has not been burnt even after 39 years. Time and again, the Governments' relief measures have proved to be ineffective with waste lying intact at the spot, impacting the health of children and adults, the petition said.
The accident, known to be the world's biggest industrial tragedy killed 15,000 people after they were exposed to the highly toxic gas Methyl Isocyanate (MIC).
'About the tragedy'- The accident occurred on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, in 1984, at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) factory that was built to produce pesticides from MIC. Originally, established in 1969, the premises added one more facility in 1979, for the production of the same.
Water leaked from tank number A 610 which led to the mixing of MIC with water, leading to an increase in the water temperature inside the tank, and release of the toxic gas into the atmosphere. As per reports, within 45 minutes, about 30 metric tons of the gas leaked and spread across the city causing major havoc. Those who were able to survive, too, could not escape the effects of this gas, which took a toll on their life in many ways causing disabilities including paralysis. The management was accused of not making adequate arrangements and the lack of safety protocols.
'Ambiguity in death Toll'- There was ambiguity in the official death toll owing to multiple variations. At first, the official death toll was reported as 2,259. Although the then government of Madhya Pradesh had confirmed 3,787 people as having been exposed to the gas, other estimates suggested that 8,000 people had died within just two weeks and a similar number of people lost their lives due to the gas leak. Experts estimate the death toll to be around 15,000.
To date, people suffer from several disabilities due to the non-clearance of the toxic gas. Despite this tragic scenario, none has appeared in court on behalf of the UCIL. One of the gas victims, Satinath Sadangi, from the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, filed a complaint in the court today saying that even after so many years, only arguments and evidences are being presented by the government and justice is yet to see the light of the day. Warren Anderson, the then UCIL Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), had passed away in 2014.
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