|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Candle-light vigil & Torchlight rallies mark eve of 25th
Anniversary of Bhopal gas Tragedy
Bhopal, December 2 (Pervez Bari): On the eve of Bhopal gas tragedy, the
world’s worst disaster, a series of torchlight rallies and candle light vigils
were held after darkness fell tonight as victims and activists jointly
commemorated a night of horror 25 years ago when lethal gas leaked from the
American Union Carbide pesticide plant killing and maiming several thousands
of people.
During the daytime on Wednesday seminars and conferences were organized by
NGOs working for the welfare of the survivors to highlight their unending woes
for the last 25 years and to express solidarity with them in their fight for
justice. Jan Sangharsh Morcha in collaboration with Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila
Udhyog Sangathan held a National Meet on “Destructive Industrialization and
Distorted Development” to seriously examine the factors that make such a
massacre possible, and what lessons have been learnt (or not learnt) from it?
How do we stop more ‘Bhopals’? What is the nature of the industrialization and
development paradigm that make such violence possible, and are our governments
not pushing us down a path that lead to many, many more Bhopals?.
While the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal held a conference of
victimized communities from different parts of India to share experiences of
successful strategies in confronting corporate crimes.
First immediately after sunset Sambhavna Trust Clinic staff and their friends
with their families organized a silent candle-light vigil in New Market for an
hour to pay tributes to those who perished in the disaster and the survivors
who are suffering from a host of diseases.
Meanwhile, The Bhopal Group of Information and Action, (BGIA), including the
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh and Bhopal Gas Peedit
Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha and other NGOs took out the torchlight rally to
the abandoned Union Carbide factory. After lighting torches, the victims —
mostly women widowed by the gas leak — marched from Bhopal Talkies to the
defunct Union Carbide factory about two kilometers away followed by a
commemoration ceremony and movie screening on the disaster. The victims in the
torchlight procession raised slogans to express their anger towards the killer
Union Carbide management and its new owner Dow Chemicals. They demanded
justice and a life of dignity. They said that it is the collusion between the
central and state governments with Union Carbide and its owner Dow Chemicals
that is responsible for the denial of justice in the case of the world's worst
corporate massacre. They also urged Dow to clean up the site which contains
thousands of tons of toxic chemicals.
It may be recalled here that on the fateful intervening night of December 2/3,
1984 nearly 40 tonnes of MIC and other lethal gases spewed out of the Union
Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant in Bhopal, exposing over 5,00,000 people
to the toxic fumes. While 25,000-35,000 people have died since then and
hundreds of thousands of persons have been maimed for life. (pervezbari@eth.net)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|