Bhopal gas tragedy: NGOs want revision of casualty figures

Organisations working for the welfare of Bhopal gas tragedy victims on Thursday demanded that the government revise the data on disaster-related deaths and injuries.

These NGOs have claimed that recent scientific studies showed Bhopal was still reporting deaths and diseases linked to the gas leak.

In the world's worst industrial disaster, over 15,000 people were killed after methyl isocyanate leaked on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984 from the pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) in the city.

More than five lakh people were affected due to the toxic leak.

The NGOs demanded that the central and state governments revise figures of deaths and illnesses caused by the disaster before the curative petition for additional compensation is heard by the Supreme Court next month.

They said the promises by some parties of Rs 5 lakh compensation to each victim cannot be fulfilled unless the central and state governments present correct figures of deaths and injuries before the apex court.

"In December 2018, we requested the Centreto direct the chemicals and fertilisers ministry to amend the curative petition topresent death and illness figuresin accordance with scientific facts and official records," Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh chief Rashida Bee said.

She claimed there was no progress on it so far.

Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha president Nawab Khan said in January this year they wrote to the state government listing documentary evidence pointing towards "deliberate attempts" to mislead the SC on the number of deaths and injuries in the disaster, but nothing was done.

Bhopal Group for Information and Action's Rachna Dhingra said it was frustrating to correspond with "apathetic governments" over the matter.

Nausheen Khan of the NGO Children Against Dow Carbide said they were yet to get an appointment with the chief minister to discuss the issue.