More money for those affected by the Bhopal gas tragedy, a giant clean-up at the site of the tragedy, and new legal action to assign corporate responsibility for that effort -these are the star attractions of the remediation and rehabilitation plan that the government will consider, as it tries to erase its mistakes of the past. (Bhopal gas tragedy: Verdict and after)The Group of Ministers (GoM) assigned to study the different dimensions of the Bhopal tragedy, and the aftermath of a court verdict delivered earlier this month, has finalized its recommendations for the Prime Minister. These will be evaluated by the Cabinet on Friday. Home Minister P Chidambaram is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this afternoon to submit the report. (Read: PM intervenes in Bhopal, gives ministers 10 days to report)
People seriously injured by the tragedy and the families of those who lost their lives will be entitled to Rs 10 lakhs each. So, if someone got say Rs 3 lakhs earlier, he would now get Rs 7 lakhs more. The Centre will fund this compensation.
The Madhya Pradesh government will handle the sanitization of the defunct Carbide plant, where a gas leak in 1984 led to 20,000 deaths. Hundreds of tons of toxic waste are still present at the epicenter of the tragedy, and these continue to be a health hazard for those living near the Carbide factory. Indian scientists and experts will oversee the clean-up, which will begin soon and is expected to take about three years and cost Rs 300 crore.
The central government will bankroll the clean-up for now, but will ask in court for Dow Chemicals, which bought Carbide in 2001, to be held financially liable. The Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur has been hearing the case since 2004.
In 2005, the then Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Ram Vilas Paswan, had asked Dow to deposit Rs 100 crore for the clean-up. But Dow has repeatedly challenged the view that it has any links, through its purchase of Union Carbide Corporation, to the Bhopal tragedy.
Dow told NDTV in a letter: "The Dow Chemical Company has never owned or operated the facility in Bhopal nor does Dow have responsibility for any liability related to Bhopal. Remediation of the Bhopal plant site is under the oversight of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh in Jabalpur. We respect the court and the efforts that it is making to direct the remediation plan for the plant site, which is being funded by the state and central governments." (Read: Dow to NDTV on no Bhopal liability)
The government will also begin a new initiative for the extradition of Warren Anderson, who was the American CEO of Carbide in 1984. He has ignored a series of court summons to stand trial in India. (In Pics: Who is Warren Anderson)
The panel also recommends a law to ensure future accidents like this do not take place.
The GoM was set up earlier this month after a Bhopal court delivered a verdict that shocked India: two years in prison for seven Indians who were Carbide executives at the time of the tragedy. They were granted bail immediately. (Read: Two years in prison for eight convicted in Bhopal gas tragedy)
Activists who have been campaigning for 25 years for the justice for the victims of the tragedy suddenly found overwhelming public support. Among outrage over the nano-punishment and the exclusion of Anderson, the Prime Minister intervened, asking the GoM to draft the government's response. (Watch: Bhopal tragedy survivors ignored by state?)
