Bhopal gas tragedy: MP CM pays tribute to victims, says ‘he was in city that fateful night’

Bhopal, Dec 3 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav paid tributes to the victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy on the occasion of its 40th anniversary on Tuesday. 

Talking to the press, the Chief Minister recalled the fateful incident, saying that night (intervening night of December 3, 1984), he along with some BJP workers was present at an MLA’s guest house.

"40 years have passed since the tragic incident of the gas tragedy. I myself was in Bhopal that day. I had never seen such a tragedy in my life as Bhopal and the world saw that day. I pay my humble tribute to the departed souls on the anniversary of the gas tragedy," he added.

He also stated that his government is making all possible efforts to dispose of the toxic waste lying inside the factory premises.

Spread over 85 acres in the old Bhopal city area, the Union Carbide factory premises give an eerie feeling with falling buildings and ever-growing shrubs, a remnant of an unparalleled tragedy that saw thousands die and lakhs suffer.

Apart from the toxic chemical stored at the premises and contaminating waters, the irony is that one of the three iron tanks (Tank - E610), whose malfunctioning had resulted in the leakage of toxic MIC gas and caused the deaths of around 3,000 people within a few hours after the leak, is still lying at the entry point of the abandoned factory.

Reports also suggest that the Bhopal UCIL facility had housed three underground -- 68,000 litres liquid MIC storage tanks, named -- E610, E611 and E612.

Despite multiple court orders and warnings, government authorities have not disposed of the waste safely. The Union government has released Rs 126 crore to the Madhya Pradesh government to carry out plans to dispose of 337 MT of toxic waste, which was collected and kept in the premises of the factory in 2005.

A Centre-appointed committee in 2010 in its study report submitted that apart from 337 MT of toxic waste, the factory premises also contains about 11 lakh tonnes of contaminated soil, one tonne of mercury, and nearly 150 tonnes of underground dumps. The government has no plans yet on how to deal with these huge materials.

--IANS

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