The Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udhyog Sangathan (BGPMUS) on Sunday asked the Centre to release more funds for the gas tragedy victims.
“The Centre should step in and make available funds to adequately compensate the Bhopal gas tragedy victims,” BGPMUS convener Abdul Jabbar told journalists here.
Mr. Jabbar said only a flat amount of Rs. 25,000 each was paid as compensation to the affected people. This compared poorly with the compensation amount given in other tragedies.
He pointed out that the victims of the fire tragedy at Uphar Cinema (Delhi) were given Rs. 18 lakh each as compensation while the victims of the World Trade Center attack in the U.S. received Rs. 24 crore each.
According to an agreement on February 15, 1989 facilitated by the Supreme Court, the Union Carbide Corporation, U.S. provided a compensation of $ 470 million (Rs. 715 crore) meant for 1,02,000 affected people and 3,000 people who lost their lives in the toxic gas release from the Carbide factory in the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.
Then, the Supreme Court, he reminded, asked the Centre to provide additional funds to the victims, if their number swelled
