Union Carbide toxic waste disposal move partial solution: NGOs

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Voluntary groups fighting for the Bhopal gas tragedy survivors have said the decision of the Group of Ministers (GoM) to dispose of Union Carbide toxic waste to Germany was only a partial solution to the decades-old problem.

The GoM decision is a partial solution as it will take care of only the toxic waste lying in Union Carbide premises. Toxic waste is also lying outside the plant, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan Convener Abdul Jabbar said Saturday.

Even after the decision, much of the waste would not be discarded. The Government move does not address all problems related to the waste disposal, he said.

The decision may have been taken ahead of the London Olympics (where Dow Chemical which bought Union Carbide is one of the sponsors) to show that the Government was doing something in the matter, the activist said.

Even after more than 27 years of the world's worst industrial disaster, the Central Government has still not been able to do anything concrete for the gas victims, Jabbar said.

The Sangathan Convener asserted that the Centre still wants to give the message that multinational companies can do anything and get away with it.

The Centre will pay Rs 25 crore towards the cost of airlifting 350 metric tonnes of toxic waste, which will be removed within a year.

According to a Government data on the 1984 gas disaster, a total compensation of over Rs 3,000 crore has been given in 5,295 cases of death, 4,902 of permanent disability, 5,27,894 of minor injury and 35,455 cases related to temporary disability among others.