Bhopal Gas Pidit Mahila Udyog Sanghathan (BGPHUS) convenor Abdul Jabbar on Sunday announced that a final call to action would be made to the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on August 27. He termed it as a last chance for the State Government to fulfil its promises to gas victims before State elections.
Gas activisit Jabbar said that promised decisions which are prerogative of state government, have just been ignored. “Setting up of special criminal court, cleaning up of toxic waste around solar evaporation ponds of abandoned Union Carbide factory (not in legal row) should have been resolved by the BJP-ruled State Government,” said Jabbar.
He said that after controversial 2010 court decision, state government received Rs 274 crore from the Union Government.“Money meant for health and economic rehabilitation of gas victims has not had the desired impact. About 175 doctors and 1,300 other staff are unable to guarantee emergency care in state government run six Gas Rahat hospitals,” he added.He said that the chief minister had many promises with the gas victims when he assumed office and thereafter repeated on many occasions that he would work for their welfare but no action has been taken till now.
He said that the chief minister should support our demand of increasing the compensation to five folds, constitute special court for the hearing of the case against the Union Carbide officials, review of the economical rehabilitation programme should be done and it should be designed in such a way that maximum poor gas victim families should get benefit of this package.He demanded that the toxic waste lying in the Union Carbide should not only be removed but the compensation for causing environmental losses should be charged from the Union carbide.