Bhopal gas tragedy: SC refuses to interfere with HC order on waste disposal

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the Madhya Pradesh High Court order on shifting toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and disposing it in Pithampur area of Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and A G Masih also refused to stay Thursday's trial run of disposal of the waste from the Union Carbide India Ltd plant. It noted that experts from NEERI, NGRI and CPCB have given their views on the issues, which were considered by the high court as well as the expert panel.

The bench asked aggrieved parties, including civil society members, to approach the high court which is seized of the matter.

On February 25, the top court asked authorities to apprise it about the precautions taken to dispose the waste. Around 377 tonnes of hazardous waste from the now defunct Union Carbide factory was shifted to Pithampur industrial area, about 250 km away from Bhopal and 30 km from Indore, for disposal at a plant.

Highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from the Union Carbide factory during the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killing 5,479 people and maiming more than five lakh. It is considered to be among the worst industrial disasters in the world.