Government of India has filed a case in the Supreme Court demanding enhancement of compensation for the victims of Bhopal disaster. This can open up the compensation case again.
The Centre in its curative petition says:
- It wants the compensation to be enhanced to Rs. 5000 crore ( it says there was a factual error in the 1989 judgement on the number of deaths.)
- Government spend Rs. 1413 crore towards the rehabilitation and relief to the victims (state cannot be expected to pay for the damages caused by private companies).
- Centre wants Rs. 315 crore to be paid for environmental degradation.
Union Carbide Corporation, which owned the plant in the central Indian city of Bhopal- now owned by Dow Chemicals Company has been named in the case. It also names the Indian company which bought out Union Carbide's Indian subsidiary in 1994.
While Dow Chemicals has accepted the asbestos liabilities of the Union Carbide in the matter of Bhopal disaster, it insists that all of Union Carbide's liabilities were settled in the agreement reached in 1989.
Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Hamid Ansari today made REFERENCE TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY saying, "On the occasion of the anniversary of the Bhopal Gas tragedy, which took place on the night of 2nd and 3rd December, 1984, on behalf of the House and on my own behalf, I express my heartfelt sympathies for those who lost their family members or were rendered disabled. The tragedy still haunts us in the form of incapacitated people and children born with deformities. It was indeed a human tragedy of unparalleled magnitude which shocked the conscience of the world. The criminal human folly that caused this tragedy has been compounded by indifferent attitude in subsequent years. It is incumbent on us, morally and legally, to do our utmost to support the surviving victims in every manner possible. I am sure the whole House will join me in conveying our heartfelt sympathies to the people who have suffered due to this man-made tragedy. I now request Members to rise in their places and observe silence for a minute."
A petition was submitted to the Meira Kumar, Speaker, Lok Sabha requesting a joint sitting of MPs to hear the testimony of the victims, health researchers and the environmental groups. There was a memorandum submitted to the Hon'ble Chairperson Rajya Sabha as well.
Both the submission sought an opportunity for the representatives of the Bhopal gas victims to place their views before the members of the parliament regarding the facts and circumstances of the case for advancing the just cause of the gas victims.
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