As the Copenhagen Summit Mulls measures to save the earth, victims of one of the world’s worst-ever industrial disasters continue to face apathy and injustice 25 years after the catastrophe, writes K Raghav Sharma
As the world meets in Copenhagen to save the earth and discuss climate change, carbon emissions and melting glaciers, the lives of many of Bhopal’s gas leak victims continue to be a never-ending nightmare. Fobbed off with inadequate compensation and left to grapple with severe disabilities and diseases, they are as good as dead – men and women who are paying for the sins of greedy multinationals, insensitive governments and a lethargic legal machinery.
Consider the case of Kiranbai. On the night of December 3, 1984, she delivered a baby boy. Even as the infant lay beside her, happiness eluded the mother and thousands of other residents of the city. They were fleeing, trying to escape from the deadly gas, methyl isocyanate, which had burst out from the Union Carbide plant. The gas didn’t spare the newborn. It seeped into his brain cells.
The boy born on the day of one of the world’s worst-ever industrial disasters is 25 years old today. But he is still a child. People call him Gasu. His real name, Chandrasekhar, is all but forgotten. “He lapses into illogical acts at times,” Kiranbai mourns. But there is nobody that she can turn to for solace.
The story of Kiran and her hapless son is a live illustration of the irreparable damage that corporate avarice and administrative collusion can wreak on mankind. For those who suffered on that fateful, frightful night and continue to suffer to this day, the Copenhagen Summit is akin to a cruel joke. The world is seeking to clean up its act after messing up the lives of these gas tragedy victims and is looking the other way. Will anyone speak up for their cause in Copenhagen?
Gasu is among countless children who have been left maimed, scarred and brain-damaged by the horrific gas leak. His friend, Akram Khan, unhappy at Gasu’s fate, has other things to bemoan. His father, Ibrahim, was sapped of all his energy by the deadly gas. His tummy bloated like a balloon and he lost his job. Life is a daily grind for him and his family. “I have no appetite and every day is living hell,” he told TSI.
Many children born later have also developed severe neurological diseases as a direct impact of the gas leak. Three-year-old Sakshi, sitting on the lap of her mother Babita Sahoo, is even unable to cry. A weak sound escapes from her lips when she tries. Sakshi can’t walk properly. “We have no money for her treatment and whatever I earn is spent on her,” Babita told TSI. To this day, the mental scars are visible everywhere. One still hears bizarre stories of how the entire state administration, including the then chief minister Arjun Singh, his ministerial colleagues and the senior-most bureaucrats, had fled the capital of Madhya Pradesh, leaving the trapped citizens to fend for themselves.
That night, Neelabai, a young woman, was taken to the cremation pyre in an unconscious state and petrol was poured on her body. But she returned to her senses in the nick of time and ran for her life. She was six months pregnant then. The pregnancy got aborted. Speaking to TSI, a deeply distressed Neelabai said, “If the disaster hadn’t happened, I would have had a child as old as you.” For her, the corridors of a hospital are second home. Six years after the tragedy, Neelabai received only Rs 50,000 as compensation.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
As the world meets in Copenhagen to save the earth and discuss climate change, carbon emissions and melting glaciers, the lives of many of Bhopal’s gas leak victims continue to be a never-ending nightmare. Fobbed off with inadequate compensation and left to grapple with severe disabilities and diseases, they are as good as dead – men and women who are paying for the sins of greedy multinationals, insensitive governments and a lethargic legal machinery.
Consider the case of Kiranbai. On the night of December 3, 1984, she delivered a baby boy. Even as the infant lay beside her, happiness eluded the mother and thousands of other residents of the city. They were fleeing, trying to escape from the deadly gas, methyl isocyanate, which had burst out from the Union Carbide plant. The gas didn’t spare the newborn. It seeped into his brain cells.
The boy born on the day of one of the world’s worst-ever industrial disasters is 25 years old today. But he is still a child. People call him Gasu. His real name, Chandrasekhar, is all but forgotten. “He lapses into illogical acts at times,” Kiranbai mourns. But there is nobody that she can turn to for solace.
The story of Kiran and her hapless son is a live illustration of the irreparable damage that corporate avarice and administrative collusion can wreak on mankind. For those who suffered on that fateful, frightful night and continue to suffer to this day, the Copenhagen Summit is akin to a cruel joke. The world is seeking to clean up its act after messing up the lives of these gas tragedy victims and is looking the other way. Will anyone speak up for their cause in Copenhagen?
Gasu is among countless children who have been left maimed, scarred and brain-damaged by the horrific gas leak. His friend, Akram Khan, unhappy at Gasu’s fate, has other things to bemoan. His father, Ibrahim, was sapped of all his energy by the deadly gas. His tummy bloated like a balloon and he lost his job. Life is a daily grind for him and his family. “I have no appetite and every day is living hell,” he told TSI.
Many children born later have also developed severe neurological diseases as a direct impact of the gas leak. Three-year-old Sakshi, sitting on the lap of her mother Babita Sahoo, is even unable to cry. A weak sound escapes from her lips when she tries. Sakshi can’t walk properly. “We have no money for her treatment and whatever I earn is spent on her,” Babita told TSI. To this day, the mental scars are visible everywhere. One still hears bizarre stories of how the entire state administration, including the then chief minister Arjun Singh, his ministerial colleagues and the senior-most bureaucrats, had fled the capital of Madhya Pradesh, leaving the trapped citizens to fend for themselves.
That night, Neelabai, a young woman, was taken to the cremation pyre in an unconscious state and petrol was poured on her body. But she returned to her senses in the nick of time and ran for her life. She was six months pregnant then. The pregnancy got aborted. Speaking to TSI, a deeply distressed Neelabai said, “If the disaster hadn’t happened, I would have had a child as old as you.” For her, the corridors of a hospital are second home. Six years after the tragedy, Neelabai received only Rs 50,000 as compensation.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
lunches on weekends, and at reasonable rates too. One could try different kinds of wraps at Taco Bell. Of course, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Chinese and Italian restaurants are never too far away.
recovery one has to admit the fact that continuation of the stimulus packages is an essential requirement for the economy to sustain the recovery at the ground level. As Chan puts it, “The previous rounds of fiscal stimulus are now trickling down the economy, providing a notable boost to activity… and thus India’s GDP growth is unlikely to decelerate in the second half of 2009.” Moreover, going by what Jalan has to say, “So far these stimulus packages are doing no harm to anyone. So we should continue with this.” But now it all depends on how Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who sees 9-10 per cent GDP growth by the beginning of next 5-year plan (2012-13), plays his cards. However, with his recent statement to continue with the stimulus till the western economies recover, the FM has certainly shown that he aims at a sustainable and long-term growth, does not matter if it comes relatively slow. 
Assembly elections. She is a politician and has the right to demand this. But in this case, it is outrageous. CPM is in electoral politics and the demand itself is laughable. The demand becomes ironic when she supports the cause of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities that hijacked the train, This group is based in Lalgarh. There is a need for proper enquiry into the matter.
fight hard before she obtained supremacy. I remember so well the atmosphere at 1 Safardarjung Road when the results of the 1967 Lok Sabha elections started pouring in. There was no comfort, no cheer. The outcome was dismal. She presided over a government, which depended on the tacit support of the Left. With great courage and sagacity she navigated the Indian political craft in rough waters with a steady hand. As far as I know, she very seldom was subject to a common phenomenon called cold feet. When necessary, she would dig in her heels and not budge come what may.
may pray and by whatever name we may call, it goes to that one source. Further, the Quran clearly states that God can be invoked in different names. “Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious by whichever name you invoke Him. He is always the One, for His are all the attributes of perfection [Al Isra 17:110]. Another verse [Al Hashr 59:22] proves that God is beyond even the 99 names mentioned in the Quran. “Glory be to God, beyond any associations. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.” This means that God can be addressed by anything that’s uttered in reverence and with a sense of beauty.
game has changed beyond recognition since the master was at the height of his prowess, but the diminutive right-hander still ranks among the most elegant batsmen the world has ever seen. His square cuts were a sight for the Gods and his straight drives had inspired artistry written all over them. In an exclusive interview with TSI’s Satish Chapparike, Vishy, as the cricketing world knows him, looks back on a glorious international career and airs his concerns about the rapidly changing face of Indian and world cricket. Excerpts from a free-wheeling conversation:
would encourage the Lankan government to settle the Sinhalese in Tamil areas. Calling the move a politically motivated one, AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa says: “The CM knows that the Centre would not grant citizenship to Tamil refugees because this would encourage refugees from Bangaladesh, Myanmar and Tibet to demand it too.” Says the state’s BJP vice president H Raja: “The Tamils should be rehabilitated in the island. Efforts to give them citizenship only reinforces Rajapaksa’s plan of ethnic cleansing.” Raja and Nachiapapan are being backed by a large number of refugees who are languishing in 115 camps across TN.
according to the statistics available, our presence on the planet is not sustainable. We are consuming more than the earth can replenish and we are dipping into our savings – our natural resources – that in fact belong to our future. Food security is at a critical stage, the earth’s capacity to produce and feed our growing population is limited.
of change. As customers become more health-conscious and begin to stay away from these fly-infested and dusty eateries, owners are beginning to create closed and covered spaces to keep the heat and pollution out.
are a unique community. They arrived here in the late 18th century and quickly established themselves in the city’s industries. There are as many as 7,000 Chinese residing in several parts of India, but for them, Tangra is like ‘home’. It’s true that life has been tough for the community of late, but they have hung in there. 
Sino-India war in 1962. When Lata Mangeshkar sang it, millions of Indians, including the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, were reduced to tears. The song is a tribute to the sacrifice that soldiers make for the motherland of the battlefield. It also creates a bond between Indians of varied backgrounds. What helped it click was the simplicty of the words and the brilliance of Lata's flawless rendition.