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Gas victims' bodies criticise Centre's move on compensation

Staff Correspondent

`Group of Ministers wasting time on irrelevant matters'

BHOPAL: Four organisations working among the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster have strongly condemned a proposal mooted at the meeting of the Group of Ministers in Delhi for distribution of compensation meant for those affected by the disaster in the remaining 20 municipal wards of the State capital.

The organisations have jointly faxed a letter to the Prime Minister pointing out the absence of any scientific, legal or moral basis for declaring the remaining 20 wards as gas-affected.

The voluntary groups, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Group for Information and Action and Bhopal Ki Awaz, have also criticised the Group of Ministers saying that it was wasting time on irrelevant matters when such burning issues as medical relief and economic rehabilitation of survivors, clean up of soil and water, punishment of absconding criminals and supply of water to communities affected by ground water contamination remain to be addressed.

Wards categorised

According to the main functionaries of these organisations, the apex research institution in this country, Indian Council of Medical Research had categorised 36 municipal wards of Bhopal as mildly, moderately and severely affected by the disaster and held that the remaining 20 wards were unaffected. The legal documents presented in different courts and the official plans for relief and rehabilitation in the last 20 years also mention 36 wards to be gas affected.

The voluntary organisations have said in a statement that if the government ignores the scientific facts and legal documentation and decides to include the remaining 20 wards for compensation, they would oppose the decision in court and through other democratic means.

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Gas victims' bodies criticise Centre's move on compensation

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