BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): Several NGOs working for survivors of worldís industrial disaster - the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, have blamed the state and central government of apathy towards the survivors despite their 37 years of struggle.
'Instead of claiming compensation from Dow Chemical, USA, for the environmental damage caused due to contamination of soil and groundwater, the Madhya Pradesh government is planning to build a memorial on global toxic hotspot to help the corporation escape its legal liabilities in Bhopal,' said Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information & Action.
Rashida Bee, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh and a Goldman Environmental awardee, said that they would like the world to know that even 37 years after the worldís worst industrial disaster, justice remains denied to its survivors in Bhopal.
'We regret to say that that the reason, no Bhopali has received adequate compensation and none of the culprits have gone to jail for a minute till this day, is that our democratically elected governments continue to collude with the American business corporations.' she added.
Shehzadi Bee of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha said that the crowds in the hospitals, indiscriminate prescription of potentially harmful medicines and the helplessness of the patients remain the same as they were on the morning of the disaster. There are no standard treatment protocols for chronic diseases of the lungs, heart, kidneys and the endocrine, nervous and immune systems caused by Union Carbideís gases. Because the government has stopped all research on the health impact of the disaster, it is Union Carbide alone that has all the medical information and the corporation is still claiming them to be trade secrets.
Nousheen Khan of Children Against Dow Carbide, said, 'Scientific studies published in international peer reviewed journals show that the health of the children born after the disaster to gas exposed parents is indeed impacted. Tens of thousands of children had to drop out of school because of their parentsí being affected by the disaster. Yet the governments have done next to nothing to seek compensation for them or to provide them with gainful employment.'
