Disposal of toxic waste of Union Carbide plant-from where the poisonous gas leaked in 1984 killing thousands of people and maiming lakhs of others-is under cloud yet again with questions being raised over the move to airlift the waste to Germany for safe disposal.
“It’s a conspiracy and a trap by foreign funded organsiations. There is no transparency in the deal. Involving a foreign agency-the credentials of which are unknown-raise doubts about the entire deal”, said Alok Pratap Singh on whose petition in 2004 the Jabalpur high court had directed the government to clean up the toxic waste in the Union carbide plant premises.
A day before the Group of Ministers (GOM) on Bhopal is likely to meet to discuss the issue of disposal of 350 metric tonnes of toxic waste, Singh wrote a letter to union Home Minister P Chidambaram saying that the move to get the waste disposed of by a German agency-GIZ international- was being taken without transparency.
“Foreign funded NGOs and vested interests have ganged up to make money out of the situation”, he told TOI, adding that the centre should make public details of the agency involved and all other aspects pertaining to the proposal to dispose of the toxic waste in a foreign country.
Pointing out that similar proposals have come up in the past, Singh said “It is not a question about just 350 MT of toxic waste over the surface, but also about the 27,000 tons of waste below the surface of the union carbide’s pesticide plant”.
Earlier on Thursday, a team from German agency, GIZ International Services, visited the union carbide plant. GIZ has offered to airlift the toxic waste from Bhopal to a treatment facility in Hamburg, Germany. The agency is likely to give a presentation before the GoM, according toMadhya Pradesh government officials.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court has listed the hearing on the matter of disposal of toxic waste of Union Carbide plant on May 28.
