Remove Carbide toxic waste under 'Swachh Bharat' drive: Groups

Bhopal: Two organisations working for survivors of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to get the toxic waste lying in the defunct Union Carbide factory here removed under the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' (SBA).

Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghathan (BGPMUS) and Bhopal Gas Peedith Sangharsh Sahayog Samiti (BGPSSS) have made the request in a letter sent to Modi on November 30.

"It is inexplicable as to why the issue of the urgent need for cleaning up the highly toxic spots in and around the former pesticide factory of Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) at Bhopal is not a vital part of that (SBA) campaign," they said in the letter.

Toxic gas spewed from the Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killing thousands of people and gravely affecting about 5,50,000 others.

"Kindly direct the officials concerned to take requisite steps to re-mediate the polluted environment (including 1,10,000 tons of contaminated soil alone) by seeking necessary technical help from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)," stated the letter.

Abdul Jabbar Khan, convener of BGPMUS and N D Jayaprakash, co-convener of BGPSSS, wrote the letter.