Bhopal gas victims march for justice

international | environment | press release Saturday February 18, 2006 22:24 by me

Various survivors of the Bhopal Gas Leak and activist supporters, about 150 individuals, are embarking on a month long padayatra [protest march on foot] from Bhopal to Delhi, which is a distance of approx. 800km. They are setting out from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal on 20th February and hope to reach New Delhi by the end of March. They will stop along the way in various other areas/communities that have been affected negatively by industrial pollution to share stories and establish connections. They will be walking 25-35 kilometers per day. When they arrive in Delhi there will be a big day of support and final walk to the Prime Minister's Office with various other groups from Delhi joining for the last leg to make their support for the demands of the campaigners clear.

January 31, 2006
PRESS STATEMENT

150 survivors of the December ’84 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal will march on foot to New Delhi from February 20, 2006 demanding justice and a life of dignity for the people poisoned by American multinational Union Carbide Corporation. The march led by four Bhopal based organizations will also include people affected by ground water contamination from Union Carbide’s abandoned factory in Bhopal.

The Bhopal marchers expect to reach New Delhi in the last week of March when they have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister. Depending on the response of the central government the marchers may decide to go on an indefinite fast at the end of their 900 kilometer long march. The four organizations : Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Group for Information and Action and Bhopal ki Aawaaz have a six-point charter of demands to present to the Prime Minister.

The first demand of the marchers is that of setting up of a National Commission on Bhopal with the necessary authority and funds to provide facilities for health care, economic rehabilitation, medical research and social support. They are calling for active participation of non-government doctors and scientists and representatives of survivors’ organization in the National Commission that they say should function for at least the next thirty years. The most urgent demand in their 6- point charter is the supply of piped water from Kolar reservoir in the 16 communities affected by toxic contamination of ground water.

In their meeting with the Prime Minister the marchers will demand the setting up of a Special Cell in the Central Investigation Bureau for speedy prosecution of Union Carbide Corporation, Warren Anderson and other absconding accused in the criminal case on the December ’84 disaster. They will also call upon the central government to ensure scientific assessment of the depth and spread of toxic contamination and make Union Carbide’s current owner The Dow Chemical Company pay compensation for the health and environmental damage caused due to reckless dumping of chemical wastes.

The Bhopal marchers are demanding that the goverment:

1. Set up a National Commission on Bhopal with the necessary authority and funds to provide facilities for health care, medical research, social support and economic rehabilitation of the people poisoned by Union Carbide/Dow Chemical and their children at least for next 30 years. This commission must have active participation of non government doctors, scientists and representatives of survivor's organizations.

2. Commit full funds for and agree to a time-bound plan for delivery of piped Kolar reservoir water to communities affected by Union Carbide/Dow's contamination.

3. Set up a Special Prosecution Cell in the Central Investigation Bureau with representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs for speedy prosecution of Union Carbide Corporation, Warren Anderson and other accused in the criminal case of the December '84 disaster.

4. Ensure scientific assessment of the depth and spread of toxic contamination in and around the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal and make Union Carbide's current owner The Dow Chemical Company pay for the clean up of toxic contamination and compensation for the health and environmental damage caused due to reckless dumping of chemical wastes.

5. Stop government purchase of Dursban and other Dow products and halt any expansion of Dow's business in India till it accepts the pending liabilities of Bhopal .

6. Include representatives of survivors organizations in the creation of a memorial to the disaster, declare December 3 rd as a National Day of Mourning for Victims of Industrial Disasters and Pollution and ensure that the Bhopal disaster and its aftermath is included school and college curricula.

New Delhi based supporters of the Bhopal survivors will convey the demands of the marchers to the Central government on a daily basis. Nationwide supporters of the Bhopal campaign will organize rallies, meetings and signature campaigns in solidarity with the Delhi Padyatra. International supporters in USA, Europe, Japan and other countries will take part in fax actions and demonstrations before Indian embassies abroad.

The route for the Delhi Padyatra has been chalked out with a view to making connections with other pollution impacted communities along the way. The marchers will organize poster exhibitions, film screenings and public meetings to make people aware of the need for justice in Bhopal for prevention of corporate crime everywhere.

Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
+91 755 93031 32959

Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
+91 755 93290 26319

Shahid Noor
Bhopal ki Aawaaz
+91 755 98261 82226

Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra,
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
+91 755 98261 67369

Contact :
House No. 12, Gali No. 2, Near Naseer Masjid, Bag Umrao Dulha, Bhopal 462 010

For the latest information on the Bhopal disaster please continue to visit www.bhopal.net

SUPPORT THE BHOPAL MARCHERS: A MESSAGE TO AMNESTY MEMBERS AROUND THE WORLD FROM AMNESTY INDIA

Dear Member,

Greetings from Amnesty International India!

On the night of 2 December 1984, over 35 tons of toxic gases leaked from a pesticide plant in Bhopal owned by the US based multinational Union Carbide Corporation which killed more than 7000 people and injured hundreds of thousands more within 2-3 days. In the last 20 years, at least 15,000 more people have died and more than 100,000 suffer from chronic illness related to gas exposure.

The disaster raised fundamental questions about government and corporate responsibility. Yet 21 years later, the survivors await not just compensation, adequate medical assistance & treatment, and comprehensive economic and social rehabilitation but justice. The plant site has not been cleaned up. As a result, toxic wastes continue to pollute the environment and contaminate water that surrounding communities rely on. And, astonishingly, no one has been held to account for the leak and its appalling consequences.

This gas leak had a human rights impact. It killed many and left many with health problems. The concerned governments and the international community must ensure that victims of human rights violations have effective access to justice and effective redress for the harm suffered without discrimination and regardless of whether those responsible for the violation are governments or corporations

Amnesty International India supports this cause. AI India had issued a
report on Bhopal disaster (The report ‘Clouds of Injustice: Bhopal disaster 20 Years on’ may be downloaded from
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/ec-bhopal-eng) in November 2004 and also put forward recommendations to the governments of India & Madhya Pradesh, US government, UN Commission on Human Rights and DOW Chemical Company.

Amnesty International is:

• Urging people around the world to put pressure on Dow and the Indian
Government demanding that the site is cleaned up and affected communities are compensated.
• calling on the Indian Government to promptly assess the damage to health and the environment caused by the leak and the contamination
• Recommending the implementation of a global human rights framework for business, based on the UN Norms for Business. To hold companies accountable and guarantee redress for the victims it is imperative that such standards are implemented and mechanism to enforce them are put in place.