Bhopal tragedy: Compensation process to begin by Dec 15

The state government today announced to start the settlement of claims under the enhanced compensation to the survivors and kith and kin of the deceased in the Bhopal gas tragedy by December 15.

“The additional compensation of Rs 750 crore will be distributed among survivors through three courts. The amount will be deposited in their bank accounts,” said Babulal Gaur, minister for Bhopal gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation. “The process will be over by March 31 next year,” he added.

“Those families who have lost their members in the tragedy will be accorded top priority for settlement of the claims. The survey is going on. Each claim against death will be of Rs 10 lakh. However the compensation already paid will be deducted (from this amount). There are more than 5,000 cases that have come to our notice,” he said.

In the world’s worst ever industrial disaster, 26 years back, a highly toxic gas, methyl isocyanate, escaped from the Union Carbide’s pesticide plant in Bhopal and claimed hundreds of lives and left thousands permanently disabled.

Under the fresh compensation process, a permanent disability is compensated at Rs 5 lakh, temporary disability at Rs 1 lakh, while a cancer patient and kidney patient can claim Rs 2 lakh each.

However, the survivors and NGOs are not happy with the decision of the government and have raised questions about the group of ministers having ignored those who are still dying and suffering. “We have made an oft-repeated demand that there should be equal compensation to all officially acknowledged claimants, the government must review death claims for which compensation was wrongfully denied and include exposure related deaths after 1997,” Satinath Sarangi and Balkrishna Namdeo, activists fighting for the cause of survivors, told Business Standard.

The minister has also said the state government wants a corpus of Rs 500 crore for the gas victims. “Our present budget on health for the Bhopal town touches Rs 45 crore, though we need better health and medical faculties for victims. If central government, as P Chidambaram, chairman of the group of ministers has assured me, ensures we can put this amount in fixed deposit and can provide better medical facilities to the victims. He added, “The Central government has filed a curative petition and demanded an amount of Rs 5,500 crore as compensation and cleaning-up of the premises from Dow Chemicals as Union Carbide falls under Dow’s responsibility”.