The defunct Union Carbide will be opened for public from next month, 25 years after the gas leak from it killed and maimed thousands of people, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Minister, Babulal Gaur, said today.
“Union Carbide Factory premises will be thrown open for public in January. The date of opening has not been finalised yet. The State also has plans to build Hiroshima-like memorial there depicting the disaster,” he said.
Mr. Gaur, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, said the State government has sought Rs. 116 crore from the Centre to build a memorial for the victims in the factory premises spread over an area of 67 acres. However, he said that people would not be allowed to enter the Factory unit which once manufactured pesticides, adding the visitors can see it from a distance.
“The Madhya Pradesh High Court gave permission to open the factory premises last week but given the code of conduct in place for the forthcoming civic elections, we have decided to open it from January,” Mr. Gaur said.
The State has plans to construct boundary wall around the factory to keep off encroachers, he added.
Keywords: Union Carbide, Bhopal gas tragedy, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Babulal Gaur
Now this is something which was expected. Instead of lending ears to the cries and plights of the affected people, here is a government who has resorted to shlve out its money on a memorial to show how much it cares for the people. I am just awestruck at the total ignorance of the people on the huge chairs who claim to intellectually govern a State. As if all the efforts by the victims, the NGOs, all the hue and cry, the candle light processions, the struggle of the victims, the fight against corruption was A 116CR MEMORIAL!!!! How more ridiculous can a Goverment thought be towards its own people.
Those afffected by the tragedy still are suffering. Why not the memorial money given to them so as to mitigate thier miseries.
I too ask the same question Aleen asked: Rs 116 crores for a memorial. This clearly shows the complete lack of understanding the government officials have in terms of those who still suffer from the tragedy and what steps required to bring in a healthy change. Instead of spending that amount for memorial, consider demolishing the entire factory, request various industries to contribute towards building a park at the factory site and its maintenance. Erase the factory from the site. Finally use Rs 116 crores to ensure clean water and air distribution to all who live there.
This decision shows the inability of the state Govt to think and act for what the survivors of the disaster are in need of. A common man like me knows what they really need and being in such higher status of Govt officials I fear why they can't understand the issue at least now.
It really pains me in wasting such huge money for building memoirs.That Rs.116 Cr. and the 67 acre land can be efficiently used for at least 500 survivors.I again fear they may ask "How it is possible???"
If you have so much money to spend on a memorial. then how about spending a tiny part of it on cleaning up the factory site so taht the people pf Bhoapl can atleast have clean drinking water?
Rs. 116 Crores for a memorial ??
Why don't we use that money in an open transparent way to cure the pains of the affected?
We did not learn much of lessons from the tragedy. We have hundreds of such plants running un-interrupted in our country. The money can be used to install an intellectual team and start a drive to identify many similar potentially dangerous plants running across the country and take legal action against them through Fast Public Courts.
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