TOO LITTLE,TOO LATE- BHOPAL VERDICT

TOO LITTLE,TOO LATE-

BHOPAL VERDICT

The trial court verdict in the Bhopal gas disaster case is a cruel joke on the victims and their kin. They have not even been paid adequate compensation till date. The state has apparently been in bliss ful ignorance of their plight. The verdict assumes significance in view of the discussion on the nuclear liability bill.

The verdict in the Bhopal gas disaster case has left India in utter dismay and anguish. It has been rightly said that the disaster has been converted in to a traffic accident.

In view of the light sentence awarded to the accused in the Bhopal gas disaster case and the issue of compensation for the victims unsettled even 26 years after the disaster, the centres move to dilute the civil nuclear liability bill by deleting the clause allowing American suppliers to be sued for damages in case of accident due to negligence on their part is shocking

The reation to the Bhopal verdict is too little and too late. We need for a separate law to deal with industrial disaster which addresses issues of inquiry,compensation, conviction, punishment and liability, cannot be over emphasised. The media and civil society should bring pressure on the government to learn from the mistakes of Bhopal. Union CarbideU.S director Mr Andeerson was technically arrested and kept in the union Carbideguest house. The American Government was quick to act and excited pressure on new Delhi. The chief minister of Madhya pradesh arranged for the state’s private plane to fly him to Delhi and later out of the country.

We still have the mindset of a poor nation living on aid packages dispensed by rich nations. The nuclear liability bill is a classic example of our sub servient attitude. The Prime minister should realise that no one will believe we are a strong nation unless we ourselves are convinced of it.

Prof. John Kurakar