Bhopal gas leak victims still awaiting compensation

BHOPAL - Survivors and victims of the Bhopal gas leak and their family members blamed the Central Government for not keeping its word about giving compensation.

Massod Begum, a survivor, said she has been waiting for government help since the gas leak took place on December 3, 1984, but to no avail.

“I tried a lot to get help. I hired a lawyer and tried very hard but nobody listened to my plea,” said Begum.

Amraza, another survivor of the tragedy, said they even hired a lawyer to get government help but in vain.

“We went every where. We even hired a lawyer. Several mediapersons came here. Everybody said that we will get help but till now we have not got anything,” said Amraza.

In the early hours of December 3, 1984, around 40 metric tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked into the atmosphere and was carried by the wind to the surrounding slums.

The government says around 3,500 died because of the disaster. Activists however calculate that 25,000 people died in the immediate aftermath and the years that followed.

The 26th anniversary of one of the world’s worst industrial disasters is on December 3. By Ram Chandra Sahu (ANI)