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Thousands of Handprints
(click here for photos!)
The 100 square meter cloth petition,
covered with the handprints of over a thousand children of
gas-affected people. |
A delegation representing organizations active on the issues of
the December '84 Union Carbide disaster met with the honourable
Governor of Madhya Pradesh today, February 24, 2004, and handed
him a petition addressed to the Prime Minister. The petition by
1020 children of gas affected people calls upon the PM to issue
directions for supply of piped drinking water to the communities
affected by ground water contamination and for disbursal of balance
of compensation funds among the victims. The petition was written
on cloth and the children placed their signatures and palm prints
on 100 meters of cloth.
Due to the reckless dumping of chemical wastes by Union Carbide,
the drinking water supply for 20,000 residents near the abandoned
factory is dangerously contaminated with organochlorines, mercury,
and other chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects. Breast
milk of mothers in these communities is heavily contaminated. 10
overhead tanks built two years back by the state government remain
unused as officials have not cared to lay down pipe lines. In their
petition Bhopali children have urged the Prime Minister to issue
necessary directions so that the contamination affected communities
receive piped water supply.
The children also called upon the Prime Minister to issue directions
for disbursal of the balance of compensation fund -- Rs 1500 crore
among the exposed people. This huge balance is a consequence of
paltry compensation payments, increase in dollars to rupees exchange
rate and accrued interest on the principal. Legally and morally
the victims are entitled to receive their share of additional compensation
from the balance of compensation fund.
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Protesting the Gas
Minister
On March 31st, 2004, the Minister of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief
and Rehabilitation, Mr. Babulal Gaur, promised a delegation of representatives
from communities affected by water contamination that
he will respond to the demands for piped water supply within a week.
The Minister stated that by April 7 he will be able to say how much
time it would take for the residents of these communities to get
piped water. He also promised that till the time that piped water
was made available, his department would ensure that water tankers
in sufficient numbers are sent to these communities. He agreed with
the delegation that supply through tankers could not be a permanent
solution to the problem of poisoning though ground water consumption.
The delegation led by Mrs Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla of
the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh expressed
satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting. Earlier 200 women
and children from Atal Ayub Nagar, Annu Nagar, New Arif Nagar, Blue
Moon Colony, Nawab Colony, Shri Ram Colony, Sunder Nagar, Prem Nagar,
Shiv Nagar, Garib Nagar, Timber Market and Chandwadi demonstrated
before the Minister's residence till evening. The protestors resolved
to intensify their campaign after April 7 in case their demands
were not satisfactorily met.
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Fighting the Contamination
On Nov. 18, 2002, about two hundred children took over the heavily-contaminated
solar-evaporation ponds. Signposts cautioning people about the toxic
contaminants are put up, and a billboard in English, Hindi and Urdu
is installed calling upon DOW to clean up the soil and water. Some
people have been digging up soil from the area and using it to build
their houses. Greenpeace activists from USA, UK, Australia, Netherlands,
Thailand, Italy, Belgium, France, Brazil, Norway, and India participated.
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Protesting for Medical
Care
The signs read: "Set up National
Commission on Bhopal!" |
On Feburary 12, 2005, over two hundred Bhopal survivors, including
dozens of children, held a demonstration at the office of the Chief
Medical Officer for Gas Relief. Led by four organizations active
on the long pending issues of the disaster, the demonstrators opposed
the proposed handing over of the Gas Relief hospitals to the State
Health department, which would deny thousands of gas survivors the
medical treatment they desperately need.
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Bhopali Children
Paint for Justice
(click here for photos!)
Over 700 children including students from 11 schools participated
today in the drawing and painting contest organized by the Sambhavna
Trust Clinic. Children made drawings on the subject of the Union
Carbide gas disaster or contamination of ground water due to Carbide’s
toxic waste. Books and games were awarded to 17 children selected
by three members of the editorial team of ‘Chakmak’
- a children’s magazine.
 Children
from Shri Nav Niketan Higher Secondary School, Rajiv Memorial High
School, Adarsh Model School, Elite Higher Secondary School, Gyan
Jyoti Middle School, Mamta Gyan Mandir, Sanjay Memorial High School,
Mother Teresa Convent School, Nutan Higher Secondary School, Anjali
Adarsh Vidyalaya & Local Government School participated in the
contest held at Chhola Dussera ground. Students from Rajiv Memorial
High School bagged the most prizes. Shweta Karn from Rajiv Memorial
High School and Ajay Singh Yadav from the same school got the first
and second prize in the 6-10 years category. In the 11-15 years
category, Rani Sahu from Sanjay Memorial High School and Rekha Singh
from Rajiv Memorial High School got the first and second prizes.
11 consolation prizes were awarded.
The Sambhavna Trust clinic provides free medical care to the survivors
of the December '84 gas disaster as well as to the residents of
the communities affected by ground water contamination by Union
Carbide. The painting contest for children was organized by Sambhavna
to make children aware of the World’s worst industrial disaster
and the problem of ground water contamination.
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"Hum Muavza
De Denge"
Performing outside the Dow India
HQ. |
I was drafted into a community play being performed by a troupe
of gas-affected Bhopal youth. I played the role of Warren Anderson,
a juicy part. The 20-minute long play was entirely in Hindi, so
I didn't understand most of it, but it included a couple of songs
and a line in Hindi from me: Hum Muavza De Denge, which means, "We
Will Compensate You." We performed the play several times at
the World Social Forum in Bombay and at the rally that we held in
front of the Dow's Indian HQ. The other youth were so charming.
They kept shaking my hand and asking me to say "Hum Muavza
De Denge." They didn't know much English, but they did the
best they could, asking me whether I had a wife and what I was reading
and what my name was. They did their best to teach me some things
in Hindi, but nothing really stuck except their charm. There was
one little boy in particular who was too young to be a part of the
play, maybe 11 or 12, but who joined in anyway on the last song
and sung it so enthusiastically that I couldn't help but smile every
time.
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IN
BHOPAL