An organisation representing the victims of Bhopal Gas Tragedy today accused the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh Government of doing precious little for the affected persons, even 27 years after the worst-ever industrial disaster that killed thousands of people.
“A number of announcements have been made by the two Governments in the last 18 months but none of them has been implemented,” Mr Abdul Jabbar, convenor of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangthan, told reporters.
He said the Supreme Court had on May 11 dismissed a curative petition filed by the CBI against an earlier apex court judgment that diluted charges against the accused.
The SC, however, had said that the pending proceedings before the Sessions court against the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s judgment awarding two years sentence to the accused, including Union Carbide India Chairman, Mr Keshub Mahindra, will not be influenced by any order passed by it.
Mr Jabbar further said there was a total lack of seriousness in conducting the case in the district court and at the most two or three hearings were held each month.
He said the hearings were often adjourned on flimsy grounds.
The Convenor threatened to hold a dharna at the residence of the Chief Minister, Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on the 27th anniversary of the disaster on December 2-3.
Mr Jabbar said a memorandum was submitted to Mr Chouhan demanding setting up a special court for trying Warren Anderson and others, review of rehabilitation measures taken for the gas victims and disposal of waste lying at the Union Carbide complex here.