Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The recent success of having Dow Chemical appear in the Bhopal court was celebrated the recent success of having Dow Chemical appear in Bhopal- an accomplishment they deemed significant. They, however, condemned the government proposal to bring 5 hospitals, 9 dispensaries being currently run by the department of Bhopal gas tragedy relief & rehabilitation under the health department.
Addressing media persons on Thursday ahead of the 39th anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the NGOs congratulated the makers and artists of the webseries ‘The Railwaymen’ for bringing out the reality of the world's greatest industrial disaster and its aftermath in a powerful manner before the world. “We have succeeded in making a representative of The Dow Chemical Company, USA appear in the Bhopal district court.
This is the first time that the Corporation that owns Union Carbide and hence its criminal liabilities has made an appearance before the court,” said Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh. Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action said that they have recently come across an official document marked ‘confidential’ that lays out a plan to close down the Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation (BGTRR).
The plan, scheduled to be discussed at the next meeting of the state cabinet, proposes handing over the 5 hospitals and 9 dispensaries run by the BGTRR to the departments of health & family welfare and medical education, said Dhingra, adding that it is being claimed that this would help improving health care of Bhopal survivors.
