A convoy of 12 container trucks carrying 337 metric tonnes of toxic residues from the defunct Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal arrived in Pithampur on Thursday morning, even as the government tried to allay health and environmental concerns.

The convoy, which left Bhopal late on Wednesday evening, covered the distance of nearly 250 kilometres through dense fog and tight security to reach the industrial town for incineration at a private facility.

Authorities along the convoy route blocked traffic to facilitate the speedy and secure passage of the dangerous cargo, which reportedly includes Sevin and naphthol residues from the pesticide factory that was shut down by the administration following a deadly leak on the night of December 2-3, 1984.

Though the shifting of the waste was ordered by the High Court, activists have opposed the move, saying the toxic substances will contaminate soil and groundwater reserves in the vicinity of the incineration site.

Urban Development and Housing Minister in the Madhya Pradesh government, Kailash Vijayvargiya, chaired a meeting in Indore. Minister Vijayvargiya is also in charge of the district of Dhar, which includes the industrial town of Pithampur.

Speaking at the meeting, government officials reiterated that adequate studies and scientific evidence were taken into account by the Supreme Court before it ordered a trial incineration of 10 metric tonnes of waste in 2014.

Activists have long battled successive governments over what they claim is improper handling of evidence and inadequate rehabilitation efforts for victims of the 1984 disaster.

On December 3, 2024, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the shifting of the waste to Pithampur for disposal. The state government is to submit a status report to the courts on January 03, 2025.

Responding to the development, a statement issued by noted activist Rachna Dhingra said, "No amount of protection in transporting this waste will save the damage that will be caused to the health and environment of the people of Pithampur and Indore when it is burnt and buried there."

The Union Carbide pesticide production facility leaked a highly toxic substance on the night of December 2-3, 1984. Over 3,000 people were killed instantly, while tens of thousands remain susceptible to a range of ailments due to the after-effects of the poisonous air they breathed on that fateful night in Bhopal.