Bhopal Gas Tragedy survivors file fresh petition in Supreme Court for additional compensation

Senior Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, four survivors’ organizations have filed a fresh writ petition in the Supreme Court of India to remedy the injustice in the matter of compensation for the survivors.

In a press conference on November 30, the representatives of the organizations said that the petition seeks additional compensation for survivors with Cancers and fatal kidney diseases whose injuries from gas exposure had been wrongfully categorized as temporary.

The Bhopal gas tragedy had struck on night intervening December 2-3, 1984 when toxic methyl iso-cyanate (MiC) gas spewed out of the pesticide plant of Union Carbide Company Limited in Bhopal, killing thousands and maiming lakhs for life.

Sharing information, they received through the Right to Information, Rashida Bee, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangathan said, “According to official records, 90 % of the 11, 278 survivors who were diagnosed with Cancers and 91 % of 1855 survivors diagnosed with fatal kidney diseases and paid ex-gratia amount by the government for the same, have only received Rs. 25 thousand as compensation.”

Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha said, “We are fortunate that former Chief Justice of Odisha, Dr. S Muralidhar has kindly consented to present our case before the apex court. Earlier, Dr. Muralidhar has secured our rights to adequate health care as survivors of the disaster from the apex court and pro-rata compensation for all Bhopali claimants.”

Speaking on the issue of wrongful categorization of exposure induced injuries, Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information & Action, “Union Carbide’s own documents clearly state that health damage due to Methyl isocyanate exposure is permanent in nature yet 93 % of the claimants for compensation have been considered by the official agency to have suffered only “temporary” injury. This is the main reason for under-compensation of the victims.”

Citing Supreme Court orders of 1991 and 2023, Nawab Khan, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, said, “The Supreme Court has clearly said that any shortfall in compensation to the Bhopal victims had to be made good by the Indian government. Our case for additional compensation of at least Rs. 5 lakhs for Bhopal survivors diagnosed with cancers and fatal kidney diseases is in a clear case of shortfall.”