Gas survivors to observe 27th anniversary of Bhopal tragedy

Bhopal, Nov 30 (IBNS) Bhopal gas survivors on Wednesday announced their plans for 27th anniversary of the disaster.

At a press conference on Wednesday, five organizations of the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal announced their plans of observing the 27th Anniversary of the continuing disaster.

They said this year their main target is Dow Chemical Company that took over Union Carbide in 2001 and continues to evade civil, criminal and environmental liabilities in Bhopal.

The survivors organizations demanded that the Indian government oppose the sponsorship of London Olympics 2012 by Dow Chemical and make the company pay adequate sums for the death and injuries caused by the Union Carbide disaster.

The organizations said that there will be a rally of the survivors and their supporters from Bharat Talkies crossing to Union Carbide's abandoned factory on December 2nd starting at noon.

National Olympians Ashok Dhyanchand, Jalaluddin Rizvi, Sameer Daad and a member of the London Assembly, Navin Shah will be part of the rally.

A replica of the London Olympic stadium proposed to be "wrapped" by Dow Chemical will be taken with the rally.

The 27th Anniversary rally will end in a public meeting in front of the Union Carbide factory where the wrap will be set on fire to unwrap "Dow Olympics". Chairman of the London Olympics organizing committee Lord Sebastian Coe will be burnt in effigy as a mouthpiece of Dow Chemical.

On 3rd December the organizations will be stopping all trains passing through Bhopal in support of their demand for adequate compensation from Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.

They will be protesting against the downplaying of the figures of death and extent of injuries caused to the victims by the central and state governments in the soon to be heard Curative Petition in the Supreme Court of India.

The "Rail Roko" agitation will be peaceful and will continue till the governments agree to present correct information on damage caused by the Bhopal disaster, the organizations said.

The organizations have earlier organized rallies and a citywide shut down demanding that the Indian government ask for 8.1 billion dollars instead of 1.2 billion dollars from Dow and Union Carbide.

The organizations charged the government with colluding with the American multinationals and selling out the victims.

The organizations said that while the government is doing its best to protect the interests of the American corporations, it remains apathetic towards the medical care and social, economic and environmental rehabilitation of the victims of the gas disaster and those poisoned due to Union Carbide's recklessly dumped hazardous wastes.

They called for national and international pressure to be brought upon both the Indian government and Dow Chemical to stop the disasters in Bhopal.

The five organizations are Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Group for Information and Action and Children Against Dow Carbide.