NGOs on Bhopal gas victims to try to meet PM on Dec 3

The organisations representing the survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy said on Monday that they would "knock on the doors of Prime Minister" on December 3 pleading for increased compensation to the victims of the tragedy.

At a joint press conference here, the representatives of the organisations said that they have also invited the Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to join them in their attempt to meet the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 3, the 28th anniversary of the disaster.

They said that they would knock on the doors of Prime Minister in New Delhi to raise issues of adequate compensation for all gas victims, punishment to the officials concerned and proper rehabilitation of the survivors.

They pointed out that 94% of the people exposed to Union Carbide’s toxic gases were paid only Rs25,000 as compensation as the government wrongly categorised their injuries as 'temporary in nature'.

They said that they have already sent a letter to the Prime Minister stating that the chairman of group of ministers on Bhopal gas tragedy whom they met in July has not acted on the demands raised by them.

The five organisations which held the press conference include Bhopal Group for Information and Action, Children Against Dow Carbide and Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Gas Sangharsh Morcha.