GoM recommendations another insult to Bhopal gas victims, claim NGOs

Survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy and non-government organisations (NGOs) working for them have brushed aside the group of ministers’ (GoMs’)succour as a further insult to the victims of the 1984 catastrophe as, “It is a clear violation of the Supreme Court orders of interim relief and pro-rata compensation.”

Various NGOs will tomorrow stage a protest march and dharna at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence to press for their demands of Rs 10,000-crore compensation. The survivors were furious at yesterday’s statement by Gas Relief Minister Babulal Gaur, dissassociating himself from the GoM meeting in Delhi, as he was part of it. Medha Patkar is reportedly coming to Bhopal to support the victims. A nationwide protest is also planned by various NGOs on June 29.

“The Supreme Court has already passed orders on March 13, 1990 and May 18, 1993 for Rs 200 per month compensation to survivors and on October 26, 2004 for Rs 1,500 crore pro-rata compensation. How can the GoM violate the SC orders? The compensation, as our knowledge goes and as Babulal Gaur has said, will be distributed among only 7 per cent of the sufferers. This is an insult to the victims,” said Abdul Jabbar of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan.

According to official information available with the Business Standard, the affected have been classified in various categories on the basis of claims invited during 1985-89 in the first phase and 1996-97 in the second phase in which the state government handled 618,659 and 410,858 claims respectively.

There are five categories for claimants. Under A-category 597,908 claims were received during 1985-89, 403,815 during 1996-97. 15,310 and 6,840 claims were made for death during both the phases, while 612 and 42 claims were made for livestock losses during the two phases. 4,745 and 157 claims were made for losses to commercial and trade institutes, and 84 claims were made for central, state and non-government organisations.

Contesting these claims and the categorisation by the state government, Jabbar said, “There are more than 30,000 deaths and the GoM has completely ignored it. The GoM has denied compensation to 521,000 or 91 per cent of the survivors who received paltry sum of Rs 25,000 each for lifelong injuries. And our minister Babulal Gaur has agreed upon whatever the GoM said. Earlier he had made statements that each death claim would receive Rs 10 lakh compensation and when the GoM has turned him down he has changed his stance and now blaming the GoM and the Centre. We will seek minutes of the meeting under RTI and the truth will come out soon.”

Babulal Gaur was not available for comments.

Balkrishna Namdeo, another activist fighting for the Bhopal gas survivors said, “The GoM also failed to recommend action for extraditing of the authorised representatives of the Union Carbide Corporation. The GoM has made no directions regarding the summons against Dow Chemical issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal District Court on January 6, 2005.”

The NGOs have also alleged there are certain members in the GoM who are known to Dow Chemical and they served its interest. “There are certain members who diverted things in favour of Dow Chemical and Union Carbide.

The company had paid nothing from its own earlier also. Of the $ 470 million compensation awarded in 1996, $370 million came from insurance companies and $70 million were paid by Union Carbide India Limited, while the American company has paid nothing so far,” Jabbar alleged.

Taking objection on clean up amount of Rs 300 crore, Satinath Sarangi, another activist said, “This amount is not going to serve any purpose. They are going to dump the toxic waste at an incinerator at Pithampur which does not comply with the Central Pollution Control Board norms as a village Tarapura exists near the incinerator within 200 metres against the laid norms that there should be no human population within half-a-kilometer radius.”

The survivors and NGOs will meet the PM tomorrow and will urge him to ask the Cabinet committee to consider actual facts and figures and concerns of the victims. The committee is expected to issue directives on June 25 on the basis of the GoM recommendations.