CM Mohan Yadav inspects Union Carbide factory premises:85-Acre land use and gas victims’ issues on table

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav visited the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal’s JP Nagar on Saturday. He also hold discussions with officials associated with gas relief. As per the information, said deliberations may also be held on the proposed utilisation of approximately 85 acres of land belonging to the factory. Before his visit, officials from the Bhopal district administration and the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department examined land-related records on Friday. The police department has also submitted a request seeking land for the DRP line. Victims’ organisations expected to meet Chief Minister Gas victims’ organisations are expected to meet the Chief Minister during his visit. Activist Rachna Dhingra said the groups intend to raise two to three key concerns. She said several women are yet to receive the monthly pension of Rs 1,000. She further pointed out that the state-level committee constituted for the rehabilitation and health care of gas victims has not convened a single meeting in the last 11 years. The organisations plan to place these issues before the Chief Minister. Toxic waste shifted after four decades In January last year, 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) factory was removed after nearly four decades. The waste was transported to Pithampur in 12 containers under high security. Following prolonged protests at the site, the waste was eventually incinerated. However, gas victims’ organisations allege that thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste remain buried within the factory premises. They claim this has resulted in groundwater contamination across 42 surrounding settlements. World’s worst industrial disaster Nearly 41 years ago, on the night of 2–3 December 1984, Bhopal was jolted awake as methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from Tank No. 610 of Plant No. CK at the Union Carbide factory in JP Nagar. While younger generations may have only read about the disaster or seen photographs, survivors and eyewitnesses remember the horrific events of that night. Even Google acknowledges that no industrial disaster has matched the scale of suffering, loss and devastation caused by the Bhopal gas tragedy. Journalists and local residents recall bodies strewn across the city, with too few vehicles to carry the dead. The cries of victims drowned out voices, while a dense toxic haze reduced visibility and made identification difficult. How the gas leak occurred Union Carbide Corporation, a US-based company, established the Union Carbide India Limited plant in Bhopal in 1969. The factory manufactured the Sevin-brand pesticide using methyl isocyanate and alpha naphthol. Due to its extreme toxicity, MIC was supplied by the United States to other countries in one-litre steel bottles but was imported into India in large steel containers, in violation of safety norms. An alpha naphthol unit was installed at the plant in 1978, followed by an MIC production unit in 1979. MIC storage Tank 610 was filled beyond its authorised capacity. On the night of 2 December, around 8.30 pm, water used to clean solid-waste-filled pipes entered Tank 610 through leaking valves, triggering a runaway chemical reaction. The tank ruptured, releasing large quantities of MIC gas into the atmosphere. Within a single night, 3,828 people died as a direct result of the leak. By 2003, claims put the death toll at over 15,000 due to long-term effects. While more than 30,000 people were initially affected, the number of victims has since risen to approximately 550,000.