Bhopal toxic waste removal needs experts' inputs, says Sumitra Mahajan

Mahajan's comments came hours after the waste arrived in Dhar, some 30 kilometres from Indore, in trucks for disposal

The disposal of 337 tonnes of toxic waste linked to the Bhopal gas tragedy must be undertaken after detailed discussions with scientists and experts as it has a bearing on the wellbeing of citizens, senior BJP leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Thursday.

Highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas had leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal in the intervening night of December 2-3 in 1984, killing 5,479 persons and leaving thousands of others with serious, long-term health issues. It is widely acknowledged as the world's worst industrial disaster. Mahajan's comments came hours after the waste arrived in Dhar, some 30 kilometres from here, in trucks for disposal. "Our hearts tremble when we recollect the horrific Bhopal gas tragedy. The toxic waste from the Union Carbide factory must be disposed of. However, it should be done after detailed discussions with scientists, experts and local residents since it is a question of people's health," said Mahajan, who was MP of Indore from 1989 till 2019. "The disposal of this waste is not a political issue at all. The discussion should touch upon whether there will be any adverse effect on the environment, land and water sources after the waste is destroyed in Pithampur. The people of Bhopal have been suffering due to the ill effects of the gas tragedy for generations. So this waste should be disposed of with full caution," Mahajan asserted while exuding confidence that the Union and MP governments will dispose it of properly. Earlier, MP Congress president Jitu Patwari met Mahajan at her Indore residence and sought her help to halt the disposal plan. The disposal of this waste could increase the risk of cancer among people of Pithampur and Indore as per experts, Patwari claimed. "We do not want to politicise the issue. But till experts reach a clear opinion on waste disposal at Pithampur, the process should be stopped," the Congress leader added. Forty years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, 337 tons of waste has been shifted from the defunct Union Carbide factory for its disposal at a unit in Dhar district. It was transported at around 9 pm on Wednesday in 12 sealed container trucks via a 'green corridor' from Bhopal to Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, located 250 km away. Amid tight security, the vehicles reached around 4.30 am on Thursday at a factory in Pithampur where the waste will be disposed of, a senior police official said earlier in the day.