On the Seventh day of their 37-day agitation campaign, the survivors of Union Carbide Disaster, demand employement for gas victims and their children.
In 2010, the Group of Ministers on Bhopal sanctioned Rs. 104 crore to provide gainful employment to survivors and their children by providing them with subsidised loans. In 2011, the MP government changed its plans of giving loans to providing training in vocational courses. From 2011-2014, Rs 18 crore was paid to 22 training agencies to provide training in vocational courses of 12,355 survivors & their children.
“While no survivor or their children got any gainful employment through these courses, these training agencies received a hefty amount in collusion with the Dept of Gas Relief, MP government .” said Rashida Bee, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh
“While the minister of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation has never done anything to provide gainful employment to the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, in 2018 he sought permission from Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Govt of India (nodal ministry on Bhopal) to divert Rs 84.75 Crores to build roads, drains, parks & fitness centres in his own constituency. This plan was thwarted after we wrote to the Union Cabinet Secretary against the diversion as the funds were sanctioned to provide gainful employment.”, said Shezadi Bee of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha.
Seventy percent of the people exposed to Union Carbide’s toxic gases in 1984 were daily wage labourers. Over 60,000 survivors are currently unable to work owing to exposure related sickness and because of that thousands of families have suffered a drastic drop in their economic condition but neither our Chief Minister nor the gas relief minister could care less. The Gas Relief department is the hub of corruption and inaction”, said Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information & Action.