Amid protests against Union Carbide waste disposal, workers' attendance in Pithampur factories drops

Indore: The attendance of workers in factories at Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh has dropped 5 to 7 per cent in the last four days after protests over the plan to dispose of the Union Carbide waste at a facility here, a local industrial organisation's office-bearer said on Tuesday.

Pithampur, a large industrial hub in Dhar district, witnessed violent protests last week after 337 tonnes of hazardous waste from the defunct factory in Bhopal was brought to Ramky Enviro unit for incineration.

Talking to PTI, Gautam Kothari, president of Pithampur Industrial Association, said, "The attendance of workers in factories dropped by 5 to 7 per cent between January 3 and 6 after the protests began in Pithampur. This affected work in factories to a minor extent."

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the state government to take steps within six weeks for the disposal of the waste by following safety protocols.

Kothari welcomed the court's direction and said the workers who were absent during the last four days in Pithampur have now started returning to work and within a week, their attendance is expected to be completely normal.

He also said that his industrial organisation was holding meetings with the administration and preparing with it possible questions that can be immediately asked by the workers about the Union Carbide factory's waste disposal plan, and also coming up with answers to these questions.

"We are planning to organise awareness programmes in every factory by preparing answers to these possible questions. During these programmes, the workers will be given factual information about the Union Carbide factory's waste disposal plan," he said.

There are about 1,250 units in the Pithampur industrial area where thousands of people work. These also include migrant workers coming from different states of the country.

On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious and long-lasting health issues in Bhopal.