The Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare and Bhopal (Narela) legislator, Vishwas Kailash Sarang paid a candlelight tribute to gas victims on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy on Monday.
The tribute programme was held at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC).
A multi-faith gathering will be held on 3rd December, and a special cover will also be released by the postal department to mark the beginning of the 25th year of the hospital.Minister Sarang was joined by Mayor Malti Rai, Dr Manisha Srivastava—the Acting Director of BMHRC, hospital staff, and students.Emotional tributes were paid to the deceased, and a two-minute silence was observed in honour of their struggle.
Health kits were distributed to patients admitted to the hospital. Speaking on the occasion, Sarang said that the gas tragedy is a terrifying event for all of humanity. It taught us that, while development and industrialisation are important, they should never come at the cost of a human life.
The minister recalled how he and his family were also trapped during that horrifying night and, like many others, had to leave their home.Meanwhile, the postal department said it would release a special cover marking 25 years of BMHRC on Tuesday.
Since 2000, there have been a total of 1.06 crore visits to BMHRC and all its health centres, with 98% of them being gas victims or their dependants. Around 64 lakh visits have occurred at the health centres. The hospital has about 3.92 lakh registered gas victims, with 61,725 registered dependent patients.
