On the occasion of the 33rd Anniversary of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, hundreds of survivors on Saturday marched with flaming torches to the memorial statue of the gas affected mother opposite the Union Carbide factory.
They paid homage to those killed by the disaster at the end of the rally. Residents of the communities next to the Union Carbide factory where the ground water is contaminated by hazardous chemical waste were also part of the march.
Leaders of the five survivors' organisations: Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Group for Information and Action and Children Against Dow / Carbide who organized the march demanded adequate compensation, clean up of environmental contamination, rehabilitation appropriate medical care and exemplary punishment of Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.
The demands included ensuring immediate implementation of long pending recommendations of the Supreme Court appointed Monitoring Committee for Medical rehabilitation of the Bhopal Gas Victims and ensuring free health care for all victims of contaminated soil and ground water and their children as per scientific findings of government agencies.
Other demands were- ensuring immediate payment of monthly pension to over 5000 women widowed by the gas disaster as per state government's records, provision of vocational training and placement of 14,000 wards of gas victims registered for economic rehabilitation by the State Government, ensuring comprehensive global standard scientific assessment of the soil and groundwater up to 5 kilometres of the abandoned Union Carbide factory, excavate and safely contain thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste left buried by Union carbide management to prevent further contamination.
The organizations also demanded that Dow Chemical should be made 100 per cent owner of Union Carbide appear in Bhopal District Court so that Union Carbide can be tried for culpable homicide and other grave criminal charges, revising figures of deaths and extent of injuries caused by the Union Carbide gas disaster in the Curative Petition for enhanced compensation pending before the Supreme Court on the basis of scientific facts.
Besides, they asked for ensuring ex-gratia payment of Rs two lakhs is made according to records of government hospitals for gas victims that show permanent health damage due to the gas disaster in over 80 per cent of the registered victims.