SC directs clearing of Bhopal toxic waste

Gas tragedy is forgotten as victims were poor, it says

The Supreme Court on Monday noted that the waste at Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant has not been cleared even after 28 years of the tragedy and lamented that the issue has been forgotten because victims were poor.

A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and H L Gokhale described the situation – the waste remaining undisposed at the plant – as the “worst stigma” on the country.

“For the last 28 years, waste could not be disposed of. This is the worst stigma on the country. We are forgetful and we forgive everything because the people involved are poor. When the rich is involved, the law bends,” the court said.

The court expressed its anguish over the fact that neither the state nor the Centre was interested in disposal of waste due to political tussle and the people suffered just because they were born in Bhopal.

The industrial disaster that was the result of leak of methyl isocyanate the Union Carbide India Ltd’s plant at Bhopal on the night of December 2, 1984 officially claimed lives of 5,295 people and left over 5 lakh afflicted with deadly diseases.

Time-bound clearing

The bench directed for time-bound burning of Bhopal waste and similar waste at Pithampur facility in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh in order to test its technical viability.

It also directed for transportation of 10 tonnes of similar toxic waste from Hindustan Insecticide Limited (HIL) in Cochin to Pithampur.

The Centre submitted a chart stating that it would take 33 days to transport the waste from Cochin to Pithampur and five weeks for its incineration. The court directed senior officials of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to ensure that the material was transported from Cochin to Pithampur and fixed the matter for further hearing on May 8.

As much of 350 tonnes of toxic waste was reportedly lying in the UCIL, now defunct, plant at Bhopal.