Dear Olympians:

We are organisations working among the survivors of the 1984 gas disaster. We are writing to seek your help in urging the International Olympic Committee to dissociate itself with The Dow Chemical Company – one of the key sponsors of the Olympics, including the 2012 London Olympics. Dow and its subsidiary Union Carbide Corporation have refused to own up to their liabilities in rehabilitating gas victims and cleaning up the toxic contamination left behind in the Bhopal site. More than 150,000 gas victims are chronically ill, and 50,000 or so are too sick to even work for a living. Till date, more than 25000 have died as a result of exposure to the poison gases. The toxic wastes that lie strewn in and around the factory has leaked its poisons into the groundwater. More than 25,000 people have consumed this toxic groundwater for years, and there are serious health effects among these communities.

Both companies have refused to submit themselves to the jurisdiction of Indian courts on various matters relating to the disaster and other environmental fallouts. Union Carbide has even been declared a fugitive from justice by the Indian courts. Dow and Union Carbide are directly responsible for the massive human tragedy that continues to unfold in Bhopal. Children of gas affected parents, and those of parents consuming contaminated water have severe and debilitating birth defects. The Olympic organisers could not have chosen a worse partner than Dow. The partnership goes against the spirit of the Olympic games, and violates its commitment to justice, peace and environmental sustainability.

We request you to take a moment to read and  Endorse this Petition which will be sent to the Olympic organisers and other concerned people.

To read the letter and petition in Hindi, click here

You can email your endorsements to justiceinbhopal@yahoo.co.in or you can post them at  :  ICJB, 44 Sant Kanwar Ram Nagar, Berasia Road, Bhopal, MP-462001; Contact: 9826167369

Thank you.

Rashida Bi,Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh

Nawab Khan,Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha

Balkrishna Namdeo,Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha

Satinath Sarangi, Rachna  Dhingra,Bhopal Group for Information and Action

Safreen KhanChildren Against Dow Carbide

 

12-Aug-11

The news that DOW Chemical will be branding and wrapping the London Olympic Stadium is disappointing yet sadly, unsurprising. The LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games who claim to be committed to sustainability, are willing to partner with Dow brings shame on the UK and yet again, on the Olympic Games and irrevocably demonstrates the ongoing influence of the multinational superpowers in global affairs.

Olympics are an event to promote peace. But, Union Carbide and Dow’s products are used in humankind’s war against people and nature. The International Olympic Committee could not have chosen a worse partner to promote its charter.

Want to know more about Dow Chemical’s Outstanding liabilities in Bhopal  (Read More)

11- Aug-2011

Bhopal Survivors write to PM asking him to write to UK government and LOCOG to reconsider their association with Dow Chemical Company, USA for London Olympics.    (Click here to read the letter)

Bhopal Survivors write to the President of Indian Olympic Association asking him to write to International Olympic Association asking them to reconsider its association with Dow Olympics.  (Click here to read the letter)

27 June 2011

Press Statement

Bhopali Children at Prime Minister's Officer demanind medical care, rehabilitation and poison free environment

One hundred Bhopali children affected by Union Carbide’s poisons demonstrated in front of the Prime Minister’s office today, demanding medical care, rehabilitation and poison-free environment. Wearing signs with words like Justice and Izzat (dignity), members of the Bhopal-based Children Against Dow-Carbide held a banner with their demands in front of the North Block office.

The children said that this was the fourth time they were trying to draw the attention of the Prime Minister towards governmental inaction on environmental and health rehabilitation schemes in Bhopal.

“Since 2006, we have sought help from Dr. Manmohan Singh for the children of Bhopal who are still denied medical care and rehabilitation and who are still forced to drink poisoned water.” said Safreen Khan one of the founders of. Children Against Dow Carbide. Safreen charged the Government with displaying more care for the financial health of Union Carbide and its owner Dow Chemical than for the children of Bhopal.

Manoj Yadav from the community affected by ground water contamination by Union Carbide’s hazardous waste, said that while there were many children and adults with diseases caused by the poisons, they were denied free treatment at government hospitals.

Yasmin Khan whose parents were affected by the Union Carbide’s poisonous gases in December 1984 and now lives in the area with contaminated ground water said that hundreds of children are being born with congenital malformations to parents with exposure to poisons. She said that the government has not made any arrangement to provide rehabilitation for these children. “The Government should ensure that these children get a fair chance at living a life of dignity.” Yasmin said.

Young leaders of the Bhopali children said that many of the congenital deformities are reversible. Corrective surgeries can help children with physical deformities. Some mentally- and physically-challenged children too can be helped to lead normal lives if special-care institutions are set up and run.

The children pointed out that despite a 2005 order of the Supreme Court of India the people living next to Union Carbide’s abandoned factory were not being supplied clean water. A child from these communities, Asma said that thousands of tonnes of toxic waste from the factory lies buried next to their home. “The Prime Minister must make Dow Chemical clean up the poisons or they will continue to harm generations.” said Asma.

 

Safreen Khan

Children Against Dow-Carbide

Contact: 09993185134, Email: justiceinbhopal@yahoo.co.in

February 28, 2011

Press Statement

 

Representatives of five organizations of the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal today welcomed the admission of the curative petition for enhancement of compensation by the Supreme Court of India. Holding the Government of India primarily responsible for the collusive settlement of 1989, they stated that the government’s curative petition does not contain correct figures of death and extent of injuries caused by the disaster. They expressed hope that the Court will take necessary steps to arrive at a compensation sum based on correct figures of the impact of the disaster.

 

Rashida Bee a survivor and leader of one of the five organizations said that the figure of deaths presented by the Indian government is far lower than that reported by government research agencies. She said that statistical projections based on the mortality rates reported by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Centre for Rehabilitation Studies show that the figures of exposure related death were five times more than that mentioned in the curative petition filed in the Supreme Court. She pointed out that registration of exposure related deaths was arbitrarily stopped in 1997 while the Centre for Rehabilitation Studies reported 436 deaths attributable to toxic exposure in 2000.

 

Another leader Balkrishna Namdeo pointed out that essential tests such as Pulmonary function test, exercise tolerance test and urinary thiocyanate tests were carried out on less than 10 % of the claimants as a result of which several hundred thousand victims were wrongly adjudged as having suffered only temporary injury. He said that while ICMR’s study reported 30 % of the victims to be suffering from mental illnesses, no claimant was assessed for mental injuries.

 

Safreen Khan of Children against Dow Carbide said that in the curative petition, the government had failed to mention that children born after the disaster were also entitled to compensation. She pointed out that according to studies published in international peer reviewed journals such as the Journal of American Medical Association and American Journal of Industrial Medicine, children born to gas exposed parents have suffered growth and development disorders.

 

According to Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action, the Indian government had wrongly claimed compensation for contamination of soil and ground water in the curative petition that was focused on the December 1984 gas disaster. She pointed out that the toxic contamination was unrelated to the gas disaster and was a result of routine and reckless dumping of hazardous waste by Union Carbide. She said that if the Indian government is sincere about making the company pay for the environmental and health damage caused by toxic contamination, it should join the ongoing litigation in the US federal court.

 

Rashida Bi, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh 94256 88215

Nawab Khan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha 9302792493

Balkrishna Namdeo, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha 9826345423

Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra, Bhopal Group for Information and Action 9826167369

Safreen Khan Children Against Dow Carbide   9303831487

 

 

February 24, 2011

Press Statement

Hundreds of survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal today marched to the Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Centre (BMHRC) demanding suspension of senior consultants involved with unethical drug trials on gas victims and preferential treatment of non gas victims. Opposing attempts by the state government to take control of the hospital the demonstrators demanded taking over of the administration of the hospital by the central government.

 

The organizations leading the march stated that senior consultants of BMHRC broke the law in 2004 by carrying out Phase III drug trials because such trials were illegal prior to 2005. They condemned the state government for not disclosing the findings of the investigation on these trials and demanded that the central government must act against the consultants who were interfering with the medical records of the trials.

 

Mrs. Laxmi Bai on whose husband Late Shankarlal, Dr. S K Trivedi tested a drug named Ticagrelor without his knowledge or consent were part of the march. The drug manufactured by multinational pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca is still not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the regulatory agency in USA. Another gas victim Mr. Ramadhsar Shrivastav who was given an unnamed medicine by Dr. Trivedi for a year and half as part of a drug trial was also in the march.

 

The marchers included Amir son of Mr Rayees, a gas victim with kidney disease who died in June 2010 because he was denied dialysis facility at BMHRC. Mrs Phullo Bai from a below poverty line family whose husband Ram Singh died in XX, 2010 because of the same reason was also part of the march.

 

Also marching was Sameena (30) who was diagnosed with chronic renal failure two and half years back. Coming from a family that is below poverty line Sameena can not afford to pay for Dialysis that she needs on a regular basis to stay alive. Sameena is registered with BMHRC and is entitled to free medical care but despite repeated attempts has still not been able to receive facilities for Dialysis. Tanveer (45) who is also being denied dialysis facility at BMHRC was also part of the march.

 

According to the organizations leading the march, gas victims are routinely denied Dialysis and investigation facilities at BMHRC. As per the records of the hospital last year while 3000 non gas victims were given Dialysis facility only 900 gas victims were able to get it.

 

The organizations expressed concern over current attempts by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to hand over the administration of BMHRC to an autonomous body created with the primary involvement of the State government. They said that the state government’s failure to run the hospitals meant for gas victims has been well documented in the seven reports of the Monitoring Committee set up by the Supreme Court. The reports of the Monitoring Committee highlighted terrible inadequacies in terms of lack of specialists and doctors, absence of treatment protocols, unavailability of quality medicines, inadequacy of patient recording system and unhygienic and unsanitary conditions. The organizations pointed out that the Supreme Court directed the DAE on 19 July 2010 to take over the running of the BMHRC and its current attempts to pass on the responsibility amounts to contempt of the Court’s order..

 

 

Rashida Bi, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh 94256 88215

Nawab Khan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha 9302792493

Balkrishna Namdeo, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha 9826345423

Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra, Bhopal Group for Information and Action 9826167369

Safreen Khan Children Against Dow Carbide   9303831487

 

To,

Shri A.P. Joshi

Chairman: Empowered Committee on BMHRC

Additional Secretary

Department of Atomic Energy

Government of India

Anushakti Bhawan, CSM Marg, Mumbai

Fax: 022-22844628

 

18-February-2011

 

Sub: Case for effective administration of Bhopal Memorial Hospital Research Centre by the Department of Atomic Energy and rejection of proposal by the MP Government regarding setting up of an Autonomous Society for administration of BMHRC.

 

Dear Sir,

 

On behalf of five survivors’ organizations working for the medical care and rehabilitation of the survivors of the Bhopal disaster, we wish to present the following grounds for taking over the BMHRC, as directed by the Supreme Court of India on 19^th July 2010.

 

1. Madhya Pradesh government is not a competent agency for provision of health care to gas victims and has demonstrated its inability to improve its effectiveness.

 

Concerned by the poor quality of medical care available to gas victims in the hospital run by the Madhya Pradesh government, one of the undersigned organizations filed a Writ Petition in the Supreme Court of India in 1998. In response to this application and the thoroughly unsatisfactory replies of the Madhya Pradesh government, on 17^th August 2004, the Supreme Court directed the setting up of the Monitoring Committee for Medical Rehabilitation of Bhopal gas victims. From 2005-2008 this Monitoring Committee, comprised of retired bureaucrats, physicians and others, submitted 6 reports on the basis of 50 surprise visits they made to various hospitals run by the Madhya Pradesh government.

 

These reports highlighted terrible inadequacies in terms of lack of specialists and doctors, absence of treatment protocols, unavailability of quality medicines, inadequacy of patient recording system, unhygienic and insanitary conditions and other lacunae. The Monitoring Committee also presented specific recommendations for improving the administration of health care in these hospitals.

 

A summary of the problems identified by the Monitoring Committee and the specific recommendations submitted to the Supreme Court is appended as Annexure – 1.  On 16 June 2008 the Monitoring Committee wrote in its 7^th Report to the Supreme Court “In spite of these reports there has been no appreciable change in the working of these hospitals commensurate with the efforts of the Committee. Hence the members unanimously feel, looking at the realistic situation on the ground, the onerous responsibility entrusted to the Monitoring Committee does not get discharged satisfactorily. Hence it is up to the Hon’ble Supreme Court that they may consider giving this responsibility to such an empowered committee that may ensure the fulfillment of the needs of the gas patients. ”

 

The Supreme Court has now through its order dated 7 January 2011 directed the Monitoring Committee to present the powers that would need to be vested upon it by the Supreme Court to ensure that their recommendations for the improvement of the health care of the gas victims be actually implemented.

 

The facts and opinions mentioned above that were presented by a Supreme Court appointed committee that includes experienced medical professionals, should be considered a strong indictment of the Madhya Pradesh government for its failure to provide health care to the victims of the world’s worst industrial disaster even after the passage of 26 years.

 

1. The future plans of Madhya Pradesh government towards medical rehabilitation of gas victims show both incompetence and corruption.

 

Further verifiable evidence of the state government’s corruption and incompetence lie in the current Action Plan being followed by the Madhya Pradesh Government for providing health care and other services to the victims of the Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal.

 

The Plans for Medical Rehabilitation, for which Rs. 33.5 Crores has been budgeted, do not address any of the major recommendations made by the Monitoring Committee for Medical Rehabilitation of Bhopal Gas Victims set up by the Supreme Court of India.

95% of the budget for Medical Rehabilitation is for building infrastructure or purchasing equipment. Just purchasing equipment is 79% of the total budget for health care delivery to the gas victims. Further, 70 % of the amount budgeted for purchase of equipment (some such as “Automatic Microorganism Detection Instrument and “Identification and Sensitivity of Microorganisms” indeed being fictitious) is meant to be spent on purchasing equipment for just one hospital.

 

We draw your attention to a detailed critique of the Memorandum on Plan of Action for Relief and Rehabilitation of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Victims submitted by the Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation, Government of Madhya Pradesh [Annexure – 2].

These lacunae in the Action Plan drew strong criticism from the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (Nodal Ministry on Bhopal), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Planning Commission.

 

 

 

Below we present extract of comments expressed by these agencies [details of responses are appended as Annexure–3.

 

17^th April 2009: Comments of Ministry of Chemicals & Petrochemicals to M.P. Government Medical Rehabilitation

• The mechanism for monitoring & implementation of action should be mentioned in the Plan of Action.
• Steps in overcoming under staffing in various gas Relief hospitals and dispensaries need to be overcome.

General Comments

• After scrutiny of the proposed plan of action we find that there is a diverse nature of different rehabilitation activities & the skills required for implementation may not be adequately available with the Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation, Madhya Pradesh.

 

13^th Mar 2009: Comments of Planning Commission & its divisions

• It is advised that the Empowered Commission for rehabilitation of the victims of Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster be set up at the earliest (as an alternative to the MP Government).

 

1. The current administration of BMHRC is far from satisfactory and it is possible that the situation will get far worse following greater involvement of the state government agencies.

 

Below we present the main issues concerning the administration of BMHRC that have led to denial of adequate health care and further led to re-victimization of victims.

 

Discrimination against gas victims:

While the BMHRC was set up exclusively for the victims of the Union Carbide disaster as per the October 3, 1991 order of the Supreme Court, gas victims have always faced discrimination in this hospital. Compared to private (paying) patients (including corporations and their employees) gas victims (entitled to free medical care at BMHRC) have far less access to services and facilities such as Consultation from specialists, Investigations, Admissions, Procedures, Surgeries and quality medicine.

• Private patients do not have to wait to get investigations like TMT, Angiography, Angioplasty, MRI & CT scan whereas the waiting period for these investigations for gas victims are usually several weeks to several months.
• Data from the Dialysis Unit of BMHRC shows that in 2010, 900 gas victims (who form the majority of the patients) were able to avail facilities for dialysis whereas the number of private patients who received dialysis in the same period was 3000. Several  gas victims suffering from renal failure have died (we have the names of a few of them) because BMHRC would not admit them in the hospital for dialysis as all the beds were occupied by the private patients

 

Lack of facilities specific to gas victims:

Consequences of the toxic exposure on women’s health are well documented by ICMR’s research, yet there is no department of gynecology at the BMHRC. There is one gynecologist each at only 2 out of its 8 community units. While the Supreme Court categorically mentioned the likelihood of high morbidity among children born to the gas exposed parents, the BMHRC does not have a department of pediatrics.

 

Converting non gas victims to gas victims:

As the same hospital caters to both non paying gas victims and paying non-gas victims, it has given rise to a fairly organized system of corruption involving officials who routinely assign gas victim’s ID’s to non-gas victims in exchange of payment of several thousand rupees. A recent case of Mr Pawan Sharma has come to light where a private patient was assigned Mr Sharma’s gas victim ID and all Cardiological tests were conducted on the private patient free of cost. The official implicated in this case is Mr. Mazharullah, the Public Relations Officer of BMHRC.

 

No treatment protocols:

Since its inception BMHRC has not developed any standardized treatment protocols specific to health problems associated with toxic exposure. Examination of drug utilization patterns at BMHRC and its community units have indicated usage of needless and potentially harmful drugs.

 

No Benefits of Computerization:

Well over Rs 15 crores have been spent by BMHRC towards computerization of medical data and issuing smart cards to individual gas victims. None of this data contributes to treatment & follow up of victims. Computers are only used for inventory of medicines and for accounting purposes.

 

Charging Gas Victims for Services:

Thousands of gas victims, who are entitled to free medical care, have had to pay thousands of Rupees to obtain CD’s of Cathlab procedure records, X-rays, MRI/CT scan films, reports of other investigations and cardiac ambulance.

 

Consultants Cut on Private Patients:

The Specialist Consultants employed at BMHRC mostly cater to private patients as they make considerable monetary gains through this. The cardiology OPD sees 50%-60% private patients on a regular basis. In 2010 some of these consultants have earned up to Rs 28 lakhs by administering care to private patients at BMHRC

 

Absence of research:

While research into long term consequences of toxic exposure is prominently mentioned in its objectives, the BMHRC has not carried out or published any research since its inception. According to the organization’s website – www.bmhrc.org, BMHRC has only person in the research department who is qualified in bio technology.

Unethical drug trials:

Recent media reports and information obtained by us through RTI Act show that Senior Consultants of BMHRC including Drs. S K Trivedi, Subodh Varshney, Rajni Chatterjee and others carried out clinical trials of at least 9 drugs on gas victims who came to them for treatment. We are attaching an editorial published in the respected journal Monthly Index of Medical Specialties for your information about these unethical trials. We are also attaching a report published in Live Mint that mentions the death of 10 of the subjects who were part of this trial.

 

We wish we had hard data to back our observations on BMHRC presented above (as suggested by Mr. C B Venkataramana during our meeting with him on February 9, 2010) but please let us assure you that it is not due to lack of trying. On 26 June 2009, one of us filed an application for information under RTI Act with the BMHRC. In our application we had explained that since BMHRC had received the land for the main hospital and the 8 mini units from the State Government it came under the purview of the RTI Act. In July 2009, BMHRC’s PRO responded by denying that BMHRC could come under the purview of the RTI Act. Since then our application is pending before the State Information Commission. We are attaching our applications and BMHRC’s reply as Annexures 4 and 5

 

In conclusion we urge you to undertake a thorough review of the manner in which the M P State Government has administered medical rehabilitation of Bhopal gas victims in the last several years. We are confident that an objective review will lead you to conclude that the medical care of the Bhopal gas victims (and their children) is too important a task to be left to the M P Government.

 

Thanking you.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Safreen Khan Children Against Dow-Carbide Mob. +91-9826994797	Balkrishna Namdeo Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha Mob. +91-9826345423	Syed M Irfan Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha Mob. +91-9329026319
Rashida Bee, Champa Devi Shukla Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh Mob. +91-9425688215	Rachna Dhingra, Satinath Sarangi Bhopal Group for Information and Action Mob. +91-9826167369 justiceinbhopal@yahoo.co.in

 

 

 

 

February 10, 2011

Press Statement

At a press conference today five organizations campaigning for justice in the case of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal today demanded immediate suspension of senior consultants of the Bhopal Memorial Hospital who are guilty of causing deaths of at least 10 gas victims by unethical drug trials. The organizations called for filing of criminal charges and initiating criminal investigations against the consultants for causing deaths of gas victims through unethical drug trials.

 

According to the information obtained by these organizations from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), New Delhi, among the 7 drug trials conducted on gas victims only one trial was monitored by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). As per published information three gas victims have died due to the trial of the drug Televancin on them, five have died due to the drug named Fondaparinux and two due to the drug called Tigecycline.

 

Documents obtained by these organizations through the Right to Information shows that the consultants of Bhopal Memorial Hospital (BMHRC) made over Rs. One Crores from the pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and Sanofi whose drugs were tested on gas victims.

 

The organizations named Drs. S K Trivedi and H K Pande in the cardiology department and Dr Subodh Varshney in the Gastro Surgery department as the main culprits for these deaths caused by drug trials. They said the Institutional Review Board of BMHRC, whose Secretary is Dr. S K Trivedi’s wife, has approved these trials.

 

Presenting the medical records of one gas victim Mr. Nasir Khan who died at the young age of 34 years, the organizations said that the drug Clopidrogel was tested on him along with another blood thinner, Aspirin  by Dr. S K Trivedi in July 2007. The organizations pointed out that a study published in the prestigious medical journal Lancet in July 2004 reported that co-administration of Clopidrogel with Aspirin increases the chance of life threatening hemorrhage.

 

The organizations stated that the Madhya Pradesh government initiated an investigation on the unethical trials in BMHRC but the report of this investigation, supposed to be completed by September 2010, remains to be made public. The organizations apprehended that the findings of this investigation would be compromised given that investigator’s mother was given free surgical treatment by Dr. S K Trivedi.

 

 

Rashida Bi, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh   94256 88215

Syed M Irfan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha

Balkrishna Namdeo, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha   98263 45423

Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra, Bhopal Group for Information and Action   98261 67369

Safreen Khan Children Against Dow Carbide     9303831487

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday February 24, 2011 09:44:53 PM, Pervez Bari, ummid.com

Bhopal: Survivors of the December 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, world’s worst industrial catastrophe, led by the representatives of five NGOs working for their welfare on Thursday marched to the Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Centre, (BMHRC), the hospital meant for free treatment of the gas victims, demanding suspension of senior consultants involved with unethical drug trials on gas victims and compensation for those on whom drug trials have been conducted. Decrying the preferential treatment of non-gas victims at BMHRC they opposed attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh Government to take control of the hospital and demanded taking over of the administration of the hospital by the central government. The NGOs leading the march stated that senior consultants of BMHRC broke the law in 2004 by carrying out Phase III drug trials because such trials were illegal prior to 2005. They condemned the Madhya Pradesh Government for not disclosing the findings of the investigation on these trials and demanded that the Central government must act against the consultants who were interfering with the medical records of the trials. The five NGOs who led the surviving marchers included: Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh; Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha; Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha; Bhopal Group for Information & Action and Children Against Dow Carbide. The marchers included Mrs. Laxmi Bai on whose husband Late Mr. Shankarlal, BMHRC consultant Dr. S. K. Trivedi tested a drug named Ticagrelor without his knowledge or consent. The drug manufactured by multinational pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca is still not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the regulatory agency in USA. Another gas victim Mr. Ramadhar Shrivastav who was given an unnamed medicine by Dr. Trivedi for a year and half as part of a drug trial was also in the march. The marchers included Amir son of Mr. Raees, a gas victim with kidney disease who died in June 2010 because he was denied dialysis facility at BMHRC. Mrs. Phullo Bai from a below poverty line family, whose husband Ram Singh died at age 50 in March 2009 because of the same reason, was also part of the march. Also marching was Ms Sameena (30) who was diagnosed with chronic renal failure two and half years back. Coming from a family that is below poverty line Sameena cannot afford to pay for Dialysis that she needs on a regular basis to stay alive. Ms Sameena is registered with BMHRC and is entitled to free medical care but despite repeated attempts has still not been able to receive facilities for Dialysis. Mr. Tanveer (45) who is also being denied dialysis facility at BMHRC was also part of the march. According to the organizations leading the march, gas victims are routinely denied dialysis and investigation facilities at BMHRC. As per the records of the hospital last year while 3000 non-gas victims were given dialysis facility only 900 gas victims were able to get it. The organizations pointed out that last year the in-charge of the dialysis Unit Dr. Mahendra Atlani has earned Rs. 3.64 lakh from the non-gas victims. The organizations expressed concern over current attempts by the Department of Atomic Energy, (DAE), to hand over the administration of BMHRC to an autonomous body created with the primary involvement of the Madhya Pradesh Government. They said that the Madhya Pradesh Government’s failure to run the hospitals meant for gas victims has been well documented in the seven reports of the Monitoring Committee set up by the Supreme Court. The reports of the Monitoring Committee highlighted terrible inadequacies in terms of lack of specialists and doctors, absence of treatment protocols, unavailability of quality medicines, inadequacy of patient recording system and unhygienic and unsanitary conditions. The organizations pointed out that the Supreme Court directed the DAE on 19th July 2010 to take over the running of the BMHRC and its current attempts to pass on the responsibility amounts to contempt of the Court’s order. It may be mentioned here that BMHRC was established in 1998 after 40 tonnes of poisonous methyl isocyanate gas spewed from the pesticide plant of the Union Carbide factory in the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. The gas leak killed 3,000 people instantly and more that 25,000 over the years. It also affected 100,000 people that night and estimates are that more than 500,000 continue to suffer till date. (pervezbari@eth.net)

 

DECEMBER 2, 2010. BHOPALIS COMMEMORATE THE 26th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNION CARBIDE GAS DISASTER

When Barack Obama was running for President he promised that if he won the White House, corporate lobbying, backroom deals, shielding corporate criminals – these would be things of the corrupt and unjust past. We in Bhopal hoped for his election, we wished fervently for it, we rejoiced when he won. But now that Obama is President, far from calling powerful corporations to account, he is encouraging and promoting them.

India’s Ministry of Law has held Dow Chemical liable for cleaning up the contamination caused by its subsidiary Union Carbide in Bhopal. But as Bhopal’s medical holocaust entered its 26th year, Obama chose Dow’s CEO Liveris to advise him on corporate matters.

For eighteen years, the criminal case against Union Carbide’s American and Indian managers was hamstrung by the refusal of the American defendants to appear in court and the refusal of the US government to extradite them. In June 2010, a verdict was finally reached. Against the Indians. The charges against the Americans remain unanswered, but Obama’s spokesman ignored this and declared the Bhopal matter closed.

When public outrage forced Obama to kick BP’s arse for polluting the Gulf, he said that a foreign corporation could not expect to get away with commiting environmental crimes in America. But it’s evidently okay for an American corporation to kill more than 20,000 citizens of a foreign country, injure half a million more, and for 26 years poison the soil and water of some of the poorest people on earth.

B ehold, our people drink up the filthy water
H ungry and ill, we breathe deep the killing air
O ur guts and lungs churn with bitter chemistry,
P oison and pain we lock inside our bodies,
A massing these toxic treasures, we let no-one else share them:
L aw, politics, justice, these are the names of our diseases.

PREM NIZAR HAMEED

PICTURES FROM THE 26TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION IN BHOPAL. PHOTOGRAPHER PRAKASH HATVALNE

SEE MORE 26TH ANNIVERSARY PICTURES HERE

6 November, 2010. BHOPAL — About 100 survivors of Bhopal gas disaster and those affected by ground water contamination caused by Union Carbide’s hazardous waste staged a demonstration outside the Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal demanding that President OBama meet with them in Delhi to ensure that Union Carbide & Dow Chemical obey Indian laws and abide by decisions of Indian Courts. A large delegation of Bhopal survivors and water affected people will travel to New Delhi tomorrow to stage a demonstration against Obama’s business only visit.

Survivors shouted slogans stating “No Justice; No business for US Corporations” (Bhopal Mein Insaaf Nahi to Ameerki Vyapar nahi) and held posters like IS BHO A PAL OF BHOPAL. BHO symbolizes Barrack Hussein Obama. They also held posters calling to an end of Double Standards, referring to Obama’s decisive action against BP-Amoco for its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico even while remaining silent on Dow-Carbide’s Bhopal legacy.

This demonstration was yet another reminder to President Obama that he needs to address the demand of Bhopal gas survivors when he is in Delhi on 8 November as survivors will also be present in Delhi for a day long dharna.

Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karamchari Sangh
Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangarsh Morcha
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
Children Against Dow-Carbide
Bhopal Group for Information & Action

Supporting documents

Press statement, 3 November 2010
Press statement Hindi 3 November 2010
Letter to President Obama from Bhopal survivors
Letter to Obama (Hindi text)

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY.

Please support justice for Bhopal and make a quick call to the White House!

With the world focused on corporate accountability in the wake of BP’s Gulf Oil Spill, a leaked email from the Obama administration shows that it values profit over people, when the profit benefits American corporations. On Aug 18, Mumbai-based Times Now published an email chain between White House Deputy National Security Advisor Michael Froman, and Indian Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Froman’s email said:

“We are hearing a lot of noise about the Dow Chemical issue. I trust that you are monitoring it carefully. I am not familiar with all the details, but I think we want to avoid developments which put a chilling effect on our investment relationship.”

Froman’s email essentially told the Indian government to protect Dow from its Bhopal liabilities, while people in Bhopal continue to suffer from the industrial pollutants that have killed 25,000 and have not been adequately cleaned up.

TAKE ACTION NOW: Call the White House and tell Obama to support justice for Bhopal!
Call the White House switchboard at 202-456-1414, ask for Michael Froman’s office and tell them:

* You are angered that Michael Froman is telling the Indian Government to protect Dow from its Bhopal liabilities.
* Obama must take a strong stand on Bhopal to show that corporate accountability is universal. He needs to ensure that Dow is held accountable for the suffering in Bhopal to the same level as BP has been held accountable in the Gulf.
* Bhopalis have suffered for over 25 years because of Dow Chemical Company and its subsidiary Union Carbide. 25,000 people have died while Dow refuses to clean up the site and to send Union Carbide to face criminal charges. Obama should ensure that Dow cooperates with the Indian government and courts.

Find out more:

Read the ICJB press release here
Read some of the news coverage: AFP, Hindustan Times

Please find attached press release in English and Hindi.

International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal
August 18, 2010
Press Statement

Sixty four Members of Parliament from 20 political parties including, BJP, Congress, CPM, CPI, LJP, RSP, BSP and others have endorsed a letter urging the Prime Minister to set up a mechanisms to resolve all pending issues of long term rehabilitation and prosecuting the guilty corporations and individuals including Warren Anderson in Bhopal before December 2010. This was announced at a press conference at Jantar Mantar today by representatives of five Bhopal based survivors’ organizations at the conclusion of there 23- days long dharna.

According to the organizations, hundreds of survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal sitting on the pavement are still denied permission to set up a tent to protect themselves from the scorching sun and occasional rain. They are hopeful that the Delhi High Court that has already asked Delhi Police to justify denial of permission to camp at Jantar Mantar will soon pass a favourable order on their petition seeking protection of their constitutional right to peaceful protest.

The Bhopal organisations expressed satisfaction that significant progress has been made on several key demands. In particular they are happy that finally the state government has started work on installing free water connections to individual households in the groundwater-contaminated bastis next to the abandoned Union Carbide factory site in Bhopal.

The organizations appreciated the prompt action by the Indian government in filing a curative petition against the Supreme Court’s order on settlement to obtain additional compensation for the gas disaster from Union Carbide’s current owner, Dow Chemical, USA. Survivors expect the curative petition to be filed before month’s end.

Survivors groups also welcomed the Madhya Pradesh Government’s announcement that it would ask the Central Government to intervene in the ongoing case in New York against Union Carbide and Anderson seeking clean-up and compensation for contamination related damages. The MP Government has announced that if the Central Government fails to intervene, it will explore options to intervene directly.

The organizations said that the Indian Government has filed an application in the MP High Court seeking additional money from Dow Chemical for clean-up of the toxic contamination. The Minister of State of Environment & Forests, Mr. Jairam Ramesh, meanwhile, has told Bhopalis that he is open to considering any formal offer of scientific assessment of environmental contamination in and around the Bhopal factory by an independent organization.

The organizations have recently submitted a scientific critique of the report on the depth and spread of toxic contamination by NEERI and NGRI. They said that the reports of these government scientific agencies are based on false assumptions and their conclusions are not supported by data.

On the controversial issue of incineration of 350 tonnes of Union Carbide’s hazardous waste, the organizations expressed satisfaction with the application filed yesterday in the MP High Court by the Madhya Pradesh Government expressing reservations about sending the Bhopal waste for incineration at Pithampur. They asserted that transporting the hazardous waste from Bhopal to a well-equipped facility in America or Europe was the only option for their safe disposal.

The organizations said that there are a number of critical issues such as compensation for all gas victims that are far from resolved. They said they are sure that the ongoing groundswell of public sympathy and outrage on the continuing disasters in Bhopal following media exposure of the role of successive governments will help them win these battles in the near future.

Safreen Khan
Children Against Dow-Carbide

Balkrishna Namdeo
Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha
Mob. 9826345423

Syed M Irfan
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha

Rashida Bee, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh
Mob. 9425688215

Rachna Dhingra/Satinath Sarangi
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
Mob. 9826167369

Rachna and Shalini set out early morning for the Parliament. They have been visiting the Parliament since last week in order to get endorsements from different Members of Parliaments. A week later, both of them seem to know a lot more of the Parliament and its many curves and lanes. At the same time, their faces have become familiar to lot more people. No wonder, when one is missing among the duo, the other is often asked by the security guards and other staff, ‘how come you are alone today, where is your friend?” Finding friends in this giant and seeming cold building is no mean task. And this is what both these ladies have been trying to do for the last six days- finding friends for Bhopalis among the Parliamentarians.

The experience so far has been bitter-sweet. Today was no different. They waited outside the Parliament for the person who was supposed to help them with the entry passes. After many unacknowledged, unreturned calls they decided to contact someone they met a day ago in the Parliament. He is Personal Secretary to a MP and he had been very forthcoming with his support. On a single call he ensured we get the passes. Our first stop being the alley near gate 2 close to Lok Sabha Gallery. ‘Abhi aapka stock poora nahi hua madam?’ asked a PS sitting next to us. We smiled and mentioned how we are trying for some more endorsements in order to have representations from different political parties. Two-three more PS sat next to us, discussing among themselves the status of politics, how parliamentarians are now demanding a salary raise from Rs 80,000 per month to Rs 1,60,000 and making playful bet on who would win the elections in Bihar this time and amidst all this euphoria remembering to give us a meaningful nod whenever a MP passed by. Soon we collected ten more endorsements.

We then decided to visit the office of Ms. Sushma Swaraj, senior leader BJP. To our dismay we learnt she won’t be able to meet us due to her prior engagements. Nonetheless, we met a MP in her office who endorsed the petition immediately. It was already lunch time and MPs were rushing to Central Hall where entry is restricted to Parliamentarians and senior journalists. But there are other places where general public can try their luck for instance, elevators where so far we have met two parliamentarians. On an average we get some two to three minutes to explain our cause. In most cases we do not leave till the MP either reads the petition and endorses it or dismisses us with some standard statements like- I will read and get back, I will see you on my way back, or leave it in my party office. Such statements are indicative of their reluctance to engage any further. We take the cue and leave.

We then went to third floor where most party offices are. Checking every name plate and peeking into the office if there was any sound from inside we also learnt which parliamentarians take their lunch in the party office and which never set their foot in. This is how we had stopped at the office of a national party twice in last four days. On both occasions the senior leaders were having their meals inside. We were asked to talk to the MP on his way out however all our patience gave way when the MP dismissed the petition asking us to return only with a petition on the letter head used by Parliamentarians. He retorted, “What will be the beauty of my signature. My name will be reduced to one among the many. Get a letter head and I will consider.”

Well, Mr MP you might have the authority to sign but the decision to seek your endorsement is still ours and so we silently decide to leave in search of not so egoistic and not so egotistic MPs. Our experience has taught us there are many who put the cause before where will my name be in the list of endorsers.

Meanwhile Parliament was adjourned for the day. We now have a total of 62 signatures with representations from 19 political parties. On our way out we met Jayant Chaudhary, a young Parliamentarian from RLD, who gave us a patient hearing but asked us to collect the endorsement next day from his office. We went to meet Sandipto Bandopadhyay, MP- Trinamool Congress at his house and he asked us to wait till Ms. Mamta Banerjee returns. Ms. Banerjee being the party leader needs to be consulted for any political endorsement. Finally we left the petition for Mr. Dara Singh Chauhan, MP- BSP at his house and returned to Jantar Mantar, our home for last 21 days where, unlike us, most of the Bhopalis spent a quiet day. Once back with our friends we get busy with planning for tomorrow. Hopefully, Tomorrow will be another day!

As Independence day dawned, it didn’t quite feel like an occasion to celebrate among the Bhopalis. Displaced from the pavement of Jantar Mantar, formerly the only site near Central Delhi where the people of this country could gather to voice their grievances. Displaced for the Common Wealth games that brings together athletes from countries whose only commonality is that they were all subjects of the British Empire.

The entire Bhopal gas disaster signifies how far we are from independence. We have gradually traded in formal political governance by the British for governance by rich entities – corporations and capital – globally. In some sense, our independence feels more like the globalization of colonialism – as if the British no longer deserved to have sole access to our resources, and labor. Now it is the Americans, the Europeans, and the Indian corporate heads who cheered on and financed our freedom struggle with an eye on all the possibilities for profiting in place of the British. The Congress party ushered out the British, and thirty seven years later, it helped usher out Warren Anderson in grand style after the Bhopal gas disaster for which is strongly responsible, having drastically cut safety measures at the Union Carbide plant to preserve profits despite previous deadly gas leaks. Elected representative after representative of our country, from many of our political parties, let Union Carbide and its subsequent owner, Dow Chemicals, leave behind its factory seeping poison into the soil, water and eventually the breastmilk of Bhopali mothers. Years of governmental negligence of this issue, and if unaddressed it undermines our very concept of our country as an independent democracy for the people, of the people, and by the people. Now is the time for us to attempt to create some semblance of justice for our long-suffering sisters and brothers in Bhopal.

For the Bhopalis there is much to mull over. All of you have seen the media outrage. We have seen the sympathy of the MPs. And we are still so far from justice. We struggle, we hope, and we will continue with all this.

Today at the dharna site, our vigil continued, damp as the afternoon air. I spoke to Abdul Rafi, fondly known to everyone as Mamu, about his story. He has been with the struggle for the full 26 years, and was 13 when the gas disaster hit in 1984. He lived with his mother, and worked to make ends meet as a laborer, including washing bottles for a while at the Union Carbide factory. At this stage of his narrative some disagreement erupted as to whether he could have possibly been employed at that age at a factory that nominally employed only adults.

On the night of the disaster, Mamu said that he was lying down and like everyone else he thought that chillies were being burnt. He tried to sleep but woke up after a while with his limbs in pain. When he went outside to see what was happening he saw people running against the wind and joined them, running past dead bodies. A woman tried to entrust her baby to Mamu, another woman was running while carrying a baby goat. Finally Mamu stopped by a tap and washed his face and found that this gave him some relief so he urged everyone else to do this as well. Some people were in such pain they jumped recklessly into the lake, but as it turned out those who could swim survived better than the rest because of the relief the water provided from gas exposure. To this day, his eyes hurt, he coughs, and worse of all he says he suffers from ‘ghabarahat’ – fears. For most, this mix of physical and psychological problems is devastating. It is for medical care, for poison-free water, for justice, that this struggle continues

The dharna site was quiet today, the mood steady but resigned to waiting. Meanwhile Rasheeda bi, Shalini, Rachna and Sathyu were able to get around 20-25 more endorsements of our petition by parliamentarians, and the personal secretaries of some MPs helped us access other parliamentarians. It was hard to figure out how to go about finding parliamentarians whom they could talk to – so they approached all sorts of people- secretaries, security guards, party office staff and so on to help us recognise parliamentarians. So now we have a total number of 53 endorsements from MPs representing 18 different parties. We hope to have a lot more endorsements from the CPI as Mr. D. Raja is circulating our petition amongst his party members.

Braving the humidity and heat all of us once again marched to Jantar Mantar in the morning from our night home, the shelter house at St’ Columbus School. Once there, Mamu, Vikas and others put up the temporary tent and we all sat down together for our morning tea. Sathyu soon left for Delhi Public School where a group of students had assembled to build their understanding of Bhopal and what it means today.

Meanwhile, Rachna, Shalini and Namdeo left for the Parliament for the usual round of MP endorsements on the Joint Petition addressed to the Prime Minister. ‘Today being the third day of our effort to get political support we had also become pretty comfortable with the staff in the Parliament. Many of them would recognize and smile encouragingly. A few others, like the Security Guard near the Rajya Sabha Gallery would give a thumbs up each time we would pass him,’ says Shalini. Both Rachna and Shalini would stand near the Rajya Sabha gate waiting for the Members of Parliament and as soon as they would see someone in white kurta and trousers, unofficial dress for the Parliamentarians, they would rush to them with the petition and supporting documents. The 7th June verdict has rekindled their interest into the facts of the disaster. With the debates scheduled for today in both the Houses of the Parliament suddenly facts have become sacred. That’s possibly why not a single Parliamentarian dismissed our Bhopal activists who seemed quite out of place in their very ordinary clothes and chappals.

In fact, Lal Krishna Advani, senior leader of Bhartiya Janta Party, who was on his way to the Lok Sabha was pleasantly surprised at being approached by these two ladies. He immediately arranged them to be taken to Sushma Sawaraj, a very eloquent speaker from BJP, who was to initiate the debate from opposition. She had already left for the house. Since we did not know the timings of the debate in the Loksabha we missed out on attending that. However, we heard parts of the discussion while sitting in the office of Telgu Desham Party (TDP). The staff at TDP is very friendly and supportive. They helped us not only with Lok Sabha Passes for later in the day but also made us meet their leader Mysora Reddy who immediately endorsed the petition and asked us to meet him again in the evening for detailed discussion.

Sushma Swaraj and other members of the opposition came down strongly on the Congress and asked for immediate intervention in the matters of remediation, extradition and the US Court Case. On its part, Congress MPs tried dissuading the opposition by citing the gaps in the legal system and emphasizing on the role played by the government and GOM. Similarly in Rajya Sabha members of opposition like Ravi Shankar Prasad of BJP and Brinda Karat of CPI (M) criticized the government for its pro-Dow attitude and demanded immediate action against the company. Ram Vilas Paswan appreciated the role of Bhopal activists and organizations in sustaining the struggle for so long and demanded Empowered Commission to look into all aspects of relief and rehabilitation. While Arjun Singh, who made a rare appearance in Rajya Sabha today, blamed Narsimha Rao for Anderson’s exit, Chidambaram would be responding to the Opposition tomorrow.

The debate in Lok Sabha started around 12pm and continued till the evening while the debate in Rajya Sabha lasted more than three hours creating quite frenzy outside the Parliament amidst the MPs and visitors as well as amongst the media.

Outside the Parliament at the pavement of Jantar Mantar, Sarita, Nidhi and Bhopalis were enjoying the rains which provided relief from the scorching heat for some time at least. Shalini, on the other hand, had a terrific time hitch hiking her way through water clogged city roads to IIT Delhi for a talk on Bhopal. Around 100 students attended the session, many being first year students, and pledged to support the struggle in all possible ways.

Shalini and Rachna went to the parliament today morning. The night before, Sandeep Dixit had informed us that there was to be a discussion on the gas disaster in Lok Sabha, and we’d send him some relevant documents. However, we didn’t know when the session would begin. MP Sayyed Pasha helped us enter the parliament, however we would need a second recommendation to enter the Lok Sabha gallery. The previous day, it was Mr. Abni Roy who took us inside the parliament.

So instead we asked Sathyu, Namdeoji and Rasheeda Aapa to join us, and took endorsements from MPs passing by the Rajya Sabha get. We again met Mr D. Raja, Shyam Benegal, Ms. Kannimozhi, Mani Shankar Aiyer, Anil Dave, and so on. Ravi Shankar Prasad recognized Sathyu and came over and appreciated our work and pledged his support. He said that he’d speak for this issue in the debate in the Rajya Sabha, scheduled for August 11. He also helped us get a pass for the Rajya Sabha. We then took a short break and ate the heavily subsidized food in the canteen, marveling at the prices at which MPs get fed!

A lot of MPs were verbally supportive. We were eventually able to get a pass from the Telugu Desam Party office to enter the Lok Sabha gallery in time for the afternoon debate. A discussion on Common Wealth games was taking place, and they postponed the debate on Bhopal to the next day, August 11. In the Rajya Sabha, the seating was very cramped and soon we came back downstairs to try and get more signatures. By the evening we had endorsements from members of the Congress, RSP, CPI, CPM, DMK, BJP, AIFB, AGP, MDMK, SAD, and some nominated and independent members.

Rachna and Shalini went to meet D Raja of CPI and Mr. Prabhat Jha, the BJP President in Madhya Pradesh, who would both be participating in the Rajya Sabha debate. They then went to meet Mr Ram Vilas Paswan. To all these, they gave some information on Bhopal for the parliamentary debates, and they also requested Mr Paswan to help expedite Sana’s surgery.

The day ended on a more relaxed note for Rasheeda Aapa and Sathyu as they joined the youth from Manzil to speak about Bhopal. Manzil has been long associated since 3-4 years to the Bhopal struggle, coming and performing at our dharnas. Today we spent some time with them and it was mutually rewarding – with young dedicated supporters such as them, we feel our struggle grows stronger by the day.