 Hello and welcome to NewsClick. 33 years ago, Bhopal was struck by a terrible tragedy, a massive gas leak. This toxic gas spread across more than half the city, leaving five and a half lakh people injured and killing 20,000 people over the next several years. Today we have with us N. D. J. Prakash from the Bhopal Gas Pedits Angash Syokh Samiti. He is here to discuss what the current state of the victims is and how this still being neglected by the state. Welcome, sir. So it's been 33 years and we see that the victims have still not been given adequate compensation. They still are not able to afford their healthcare or lead dignified lives. So what is the state of this compensation? What are the current status of this? Roughly in injury cases, those victims got 50,000 and in death cases, they were given average one lakh each. But subsequently in 2010, the Government of India on its own decided to raise compensation in death cases to 10 lakhs. That won't do. Also in 2010, the Government of India filed a curative petition against the settlement and which they claimed another additional 7,000 crores. But that curative petition which was filed in 2010 is still pending for the Supreme Court. But before the Government of India filed the case before the Supreme Court, the Bhopal Gas Pedits Angash Syokh Samiti and Bhopal Gas Pedits Mahilal Dukh Sangatan, we had filed, we had challenged the settlement earlier and it was on the basis that the whole thing was reopened. We questioned the number of victims because the settlement was based on the assumption that only one lakh, 5,000 victims including 3,000 dead, were dead and injured. But in 2004, the Claims Courts determined that there were more than 5,70,000. So we said that, accordingly, because the Government itself has admitted that the magnitude was 5 times higher than the base of the settlement, the compensation also should be proportionally increased. So that was filed. Initially the Supreme Court dismissed it, then we went to the, then we were given the opportunity of going back to the Welfare Commission's office. Welfare Commission also dismissed it, then when the High Court dismissed it, we came back to the Supreme Court and finally the petition was again admitted. But that is also pending before the Supreme Court, still pending. So that's the state of mind. And we also see that the Government, the health facilities which have been provided to these victims are not adequate, they're not maintaining proper records, which has also been seen as a way, as a hindrance in the way to get the compensation. Yeah, because, you see, when the victims were gone before the Claim Courts, they had no proof of degree of injury, because the records were maintained by, supposed to be maintained by the Government, but that they didn't, they could not prove for the court the degree of injury. That is why most of the victims were classified as temporarily injured, with those absolute nobis. Then we have been repeatedly demanding that the medical records be computerized. And the other problem was, you see, there were about seven, eight major hospitals, I mean, there were about 1,000 beds, exclusively for gas victims, plus a number of clinics. So the victims used to go to one hospital a day, or one day, take medicine from there. Then next day, they would go to another hospital, take more medicines. There was no record of what they were consuming. It was all symptomatic treatment. There was no proper diagnosis and investigation. So we said the records must be properly computerized. And only referral cases from clinics should go to the tertiary care, for proper investigation and diagnosis and treatment. Subsequently, Supreme Court in 2004, 2001, had directed the State Government to computerize the medical records. But the fact is, till today, till today, last 15 years, but 16 years, it has not been completed. They were trying to hide the facts, because maintaining records would prove the degree of injuries of the gas victims. So they won't hide this fact. So they're messing up with the process of computerization and proper record keeping. Yeah. So they won't have to pay as much compensation. But because finally in 2012, again, the Supreme Court gave a very strong direction to the State Government and the Government of India to ensure that the records are properly computerized. But the matter is still pending and the Supreme Court sent the case back to the High Court. And the matter is still pending there. The State Government and the biggest hospital which is treating Bhopal gas victims is the Bhopal Memorial Hospital. They claim that they have records of 3,70,000 odd victims. And out of that, the latest information we have got is that 1,70,000 victims have been regularly visiting this hospital for the last 17 years, because the Bhopal Memorial Hospital was set up in 2000. So because even in the curative petition, the Government of India has only claimed that only 4,000 odd victims are seriously injured. Okay. Otherwise, others are all cascades, temporary. Temporarily injured for 33 years. And I haven't had the ridiculousness of the entire. And coming to the otherwise, the criminal proceedings of this, we see the blame game is still on. Still no one has really been accused and like properly incriminated in this case. There is a case of Keshav Mahindra who was the chairman of Union Cowboy India at that time. And so earlier he had claimed sabotage for the reason of this gas leak. And now we see that this is again coming up. So what is this whole sabotage claim? And why is it coming up again? The Indian accused had never raised the issue of sabotage earlier. It's only last month when the matter came up for the sessions court that they issued. Earlier Union Cowboy Corporation had indirectly raised the issue of sabotage. But Union Cowboy India Limited had never raised this issue and none of the Indian accused when the matter was before the CJM, Chief Digital Magistrate and they had never raised this issue at all. So now this has been raised in order to divert the whole issue because our contention has been the disaster took place because of improper safety systems. Because there was another plant in the United States because the Bhopal, the sister plant of the plant, which was already there, the safety systems in the Union Cowboy plant in the United States is of a higher degree. And the safety systems at the Bhopal plant are substandard. So the clear case of double standards. And the disaster took place because of adoption of double safety standards. That has been our contention. So in order to divert this issue, they were raising the issue of sabotage. They were storing highly toxic chemicals. So they should have been maximum security. You cannot just any employee cannot play around with 40 tons of chemicals stored in place. So even if the question of sabotage comes up, it's a question how did you permit somebody to carry out such a sabotage. So that means your safety systems were not proper. Finally, we should also discuss the contamination of the site. So we see that it's still quite awful. This water in the area is polluted. And this toxic waste, the problem of toxic waste has not still been dealt with. So what is being done really? What are the efforts which are being done to decontaminate this area? Nothing has been done so far. We got to know that a lot of chemicals had been stored and unused chemicals had been stored within the plant. And we also came to know that they were not properly secured. And many of these old chemicals which are lying on the plant premises was leaching into the ground. So on this basis, the Pollution Control Board submitted a report before the court. And that is when we became more aware of the gravity of the issue. Then Greenpeace had carried out certain studies which proved that a lot of toxic waste had gone into the ground and polluted, contaminated the water and soil. And we also came to know about the solar of Operation Pond, which was outside the factory premises, which where they were dumping toxic waste from 1969. From the time the plant was set up. And a lot of that chemical, and in the pond there is just a little policy in the streets and just dumping chemical on that. And over a period of time that plastic sheets just gave away and the chemicals leached into the ground. So subsequently Neere, the National Institute of Environmental Research, they've carried out studies which has pointed out that 1.1 million tons of contaminated soil is there in and around the plant. And nearly 345 tons of chemical waste is still stored within the plant premises. And the issue of providing safe water to the residents who are nearby, because a lot of people are depending on hand pumps for water. So again after intervention before the court, the court has directed the government to give pipe water to the residents in and around the plant. So that has not been completely carried out by the government, they're saying that they're still in the process of providing safe water to the gas victims. So we see that even after 33 years there's a lot which has to be done and how like because of this pollution problem, this gas leak is continuing to impact people who are living there now. And the medical issues is a very serious thing because proper research has not been carried out. Although nobody knows what are the real implications of the exposure to the toxic materials. Because the ICMR had stopped all research in 1994. And it's only after our intervention that the restarted the research work in 2010. And even the last 7 years not much work has been done yet. And we've always demanded that the victims be given the best treatment. And in between the large number of doctors, senior consultants from Bhopal Memorial Hospital left the hospital and went because they were all on contract basis. Because we said that it should be at par with the best treatment which is available in India. And we said it should be part of AIMS because subsequently they did set up AIMS unit in Bhopal. But they had not made BMHRC a part of AIMS. So after our intervention, finally the government has agreed that Bhopal Memorial Hospital would be made part of AIMS. But the health ministry has agreed to it. But the cabinet is not yet sanctioned that. And the High Court has given the health ministry time till 8 January to fulfill this condition. Because there is no central health service scheme in the BMHRC at present. Because of which the doctors aren't willing to remain there. So that's all the time we have. Thank you sir for joining us and talking to us about all of these issues. Thank you for watching NewsClick.