Instead of building a Rs116-crore memorial on the site of the Bhopal gas tragedy, should the Madhya Pradesh government disburse the money to victims?

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas leak, which has claimed 15,274 lives and affected 5,74,000 people since December 2, 1984, when deadly methyl iso cyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory.

NGOs fighting for the cause of the victims have accused the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government of a lack of initiative in extraditing former Union Carbide chairman Warren Anderson from the US. The NGOs also allege that huge volumes of lethal toxic waste are still lying in the factory premises.

According to an agreement facilitated by the supreme court, dated February 15, 1989, Union Carbide Corporation, US, provided a compensation of $470 million (Rs715 crore) meant for 1,02,000 affected people and 3,000 people who lost their lives due to the toxic gas emission. However, the same amount (Rs715 crore) was distributed among 5,79,274 people, as the number of victims went up by more than 500%. A flat amount of Rs25,000 each was given to affected people, while Rs1 lakh was provided per person for death from 1992 to 2004.

Now, Bhopal gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation minister Babulal Gaur has sought Rs116 crore from the Centre to build " a memorial of international standard - akin to the one in Hiroshima, Japan - depicting a detailed account of the world's worst industrial disaster".

Instead of building a Rs116-crore memorial on the site of the Bhopal gas tragedy, should the Madhya Pradesh government disburse the money to victims?