The Rs. 1500 crores set aside by the Government of India for more compensation is far from adequate to meet the expectations of the gas victims. As one local newspaper pointed out, “Rs. 1500 crore is not enough to bury the ghost of Bhopal”. In the past, all residents of the 36 municipal wards of the city, declared gas-affected, had received compensation. Besides the next of kin of the deceased and the seriously injured (who got higher amounts), all residents of the affected wards, irrespective of whether or not they had suffered any injury, were awarded Rs. 50,000 each as compensation. However, now this formula has been chucked and that has aroused anger and resentment among those who have been denied enhanced compensation.

How sharp the reaction to the package has been is evident by the fact that for the first time since the 1984 disaster, all the victim organisations have come on a common platform. They have forged a joint front to protest the package and a delegation is already in New Delhi to demand its scrapping.

They have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister to explain their case but so far, they have not been granted an appointment. The Madhya Pradesh government has also come out in support of the victim organisations. According to Mr. Babulal Gaur, Madhya Pradesh minister for gas relief, only 42,208 persons will get the enhanced compensation. This comes to less than 10 per cent of the total number of victims.

According to Gaur, the next of kin of 5295 deceased gas victims will get Rs. 10 lakhs each, in 3199 cases of permanent disability, Rs. 5 lakhs each will be given and Rs. 3 lakh each will go to 33,672 persons, who have been declared partially disabled. The rest will get nothing.

Given that over 90 per cent of the gas victims stand to gain nothing out of the new package, the government, gas victim organisations and political parties have no choice but to oppose the move. The BJP proposes to launch a series of agitations and protests on the issue. .

While the BJP and the gas victim organisations are shouting from the rooftops that the package was not acceptable to them, the Congress is in a predicament. Mr. Arif Aqueel, the Congress MLA from old Bhopal and the sole Muslim member of the MP assembly typifies this dilemma. A majority of the gas victims reside in his constituency and are up in arms against the package. However, he is keeping his mouth shut, he cannot afford to oppose the decision taken by his own party's government. Even while admitting that the gas tragedy and especially its compensation part would be the key issue in the next assembly elections, he is unable to take any categorical stand. His opponent, the BJP knows that he is a formidable leader to defeat. And so they are creating a situation whereby he and through him, the Congress would have to make his position clear.

Evidently, compensation for all the residents of the 36 wards has become the most important issue after the announcement of the GoM package.

The BJP not only wants compensation for all the residents of the 36 wards but also wants the inclusion of the remaining 20 municipal wards in the category of gas-affected. From day one, the BJP has been raising this demand. But successive Central Governments, including the one headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee, never accepted it.

Babulal Gaur reiterated this demand at the GoM meeting. One of the reasons why Gaur keeps on harping on the demand is that the 20 wards fall in his constituency, which he has been representing since 1974.

After the verdict in the Carbide case, the Chief Minister had appointed a committee of legal experts to suggest what the state government could do to get the sentences of the UCC officials enhanced. The committee, headed by Additional Attorney General Vivek Tankha (chosen because he belongs to MP), has expressed the view that the case can be re-opened. However, when and whether it happens, is yet to be seen.

Another problem which is a cause of serious worry for the people of Bhopal and the Government of MP is the disposal of the toxic chemical waste lying on the Carbide premises. It is estimated that 350 tonnes of toxic waste is lying in the plant area. Besides, 1.1 million tonnes of contaminated soil at the site also needs to be treated. The GoM has decided that the toxic waste would be incinerated at Pithampur, an industrial town near Indore. The State Government would oversee the work while the Centre would chip in with financial and scientific assistance. It has also been decided that the Carbide Plant would be dismantled and a memorial park would be built at the place. A new research centre of the ICMR is also proposed to be set-up at the site.

However, the plan to dispose off the toxic waste has run into rough weather as the residents of Pithampur are bitterly opposing it. Their opposition to the move got a boost when the workers handling the newly-installed Industrial incinerator at Pithampur got exposed to toxic fumes. The incinerator is presently undergoing trial runs and will become operational in August. After that, the toxic waste from Bhopal is proposed to be transported to Pithampur and disposed off. That may, however, not be an easy task given the opposition to it from the locals. (IPA)