Bhopal Gas tragedy: Woes of Bhopal widows continues

Even 26 years after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, there was no end to the woes of world's worst industrial disaster widows who have been left to fend for themselves at dingy Vidhwa Colony near here.

The condition of the women, mostly with grey hair and suffering from breathing problems, has gone 'bad to worse' and they are living in an abject poverty at the widow colony having more than 2490 one room houses at Karond.

The widow colony was built in three phases by the Madhya Pradesh Housing Board with the financial assistance of Rs 30 crore from the Centre between 1989-1994 in around 50 acres land, Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sangthan convener Abdul Jabbar said.

After the houses were handed over to the widows, no government agency had been assigned to look after the maintenance work of the colony which now has turned into an unhygienic place, no proper sewerage system and road, lack of drinking water facility among others.

One of the occupants of the colony Kishwar Jahan (67) suffering from breathing problem said that she lost her husband Sayyad Mohommad Ali in the tragedy at Shajanabad locality.

"After this, I got a house in the colony and a compensation of Rs 50,000 as the rest amount was given to my husband's other wife. I have a son and a daughter," she said.

"My daughter got married and was having her family. Similarly, my son Arif with his family was living at some other place," she said adding "Arif is a truck driver and it was hard for him to make both ends meet and help me."

However, she said that she gets some help from him.

"I get Rs 250-300 monthly under widow pension scheme," Jahan said adding that it was too little for her to survive.

"After I failed to pay my electricity bill of Rs 7000, power supply to my house was snapped a year ago," she said adding that now she had taken the electricity connection from the next door for which she was paying Rs 300 monthly.

Another widow Droupadi Bai (50) said that she lost her husband Ganga Ram and son Narayan in the gas tragedy after which she got Rs two lakh compensation.

"I am suffering from breathing problem. It is hard for me to fetch water to the third floor house in the widow colony. I am earning my livelihood by making beedi," she said.

Ganga Bai (65), who lost her husband in the tragedy said that she had left the house on fourth floor given to her in the widow colony. "I am staying with my younger son in Bhanpur area," she added.

"My elder son is now living in the house in the widow colony. It was hard for me to climb the stairs to the fourth floor since I am suffering from lung problem," she said.

Madhya Pradesh gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation minister Babulal Gaur has said that the state will provide Rs 500 a month to these widows.

He said that the widow colony was in a bad shape and desperately needs repair work. The Bhopal Municipal Corporation will be asked to carry out infrastructure development work in the colony.

Sewerage system, road and other facilities will be put in place in the colony soon, Gaur said.