Bhopal: They managed to beat the Bhopal gas tragedy that occurred December 2 and 3 exactly 36 years ago, but they fell plea to COVID-19. Well we are talking of 102 people in this city who have died due to the pandemic COVID-19. They had managed to survive one of the greatest industrial disasters that India has ever seen. They survived that pain, but fell to beat the pandemic COVID-19.
The fact came to light as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made an announcement Thursday. He informed that a memorial would be built to commemorate those who lost their lives in the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. Chouhan also announced resumption of pension of Rs 1,000 forthwith for the women who lost their husbands. He was speaking on the 36th anniversary of the toxic gas leak.
“A memorial will be built to commemorate the people who lost their lives due to the toxic gas leak from a pesticide plant on December 2-3 night in 1984,” Chouhan said. He was attending an all religion meeting held here on one of the world’s worst industrial disaster.
“Besides, pension to the widows stopped in 2019 (by the previous Congress government) who lost their husbands due to the tragedy would be given forthwith. They are suffering from various diseases. They need help as they have suffered a lot,” he added.
Over 15,000 people were killed after methyl isocyanate leaked on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. It happened from the pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) on the outskirts of the city. More than five lakh people were affected due to the toxic leak.
Meanwhile, the government said 102 of those that had survived the disaster have died due to COVID-19.
“Till December 2, COVID-19 has claimed 518 lives in Bhopal district. Of them, 102 are Bhopal gas tragedy survivors. Out of these 102 people, 69 were above 50 years of age. The remaining 33 were aged below 50,” Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Director Basant Kurre said.
However, some NGOs claimed that as many as 254 survivors of the Bhopal disaster have succumbed to COVID-19.
“As per the state’s health bulletin, 518 people have died due to COVID-19 in Bhopal district so far. We visited the houses of 450 of these deceased to find out whether they were gas victims or not. Out of these 450 people, 254 were found to be the Bhopal gas tragedy survivors. Not 102 as said by the government,” Rachna Dhingra of NGO Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) claimed.