MP Congress chief writes to PM over Bhopal gas disaster
In a letter to the prime minister yesterday, state Congress president Suresh Pachouri said even after more than 25 years of the tragedy, the gas victims continue to suffer.
The Congress in Madhya Pradesh has appealed to prime minister Manmohan Singh to intervene in resolving all the outstanding issues related to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, which killed more than 15,000 people and affected the health of over five lakh persons.In a letter to the prime minister yesterday, state Congress president Suresh Pachouri said even after more than25 years of the tragedy, the gas victims continue to suffer. Pachouri said he would like to submit relevant points before the Centre's re-constituted Group of Ministers (GoM) on the gas leak issue which is meeting in Delhi tomorrow.
A new action plan, which is under consideration of Planning Commission for continuation of relief, rehabilitation (social and economic) and additional measures, should be expeditiously approved, Pachouri stated.The amount of monetary compensation to the gas victims should be enhanced and 350 metric tonnes of toxic waste, lying in the defunct Union Carbide factory premises, must be safely disposed of, the Congress leader said.A mechanism must be devised for effective monitoring of different aspects of relief, rehabilitation, compensation and environmental impact, Pachouri said.He said based on research on the long-term adverse impact of gas leak on the surviving victims and their progeny, effective medical care must be ensured for them.