Waste linked to Bhopal gas tragedy MP minister Vijayvargiya meets public representatives

Indore, Jan 2 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday chaired a meeting over the opposition to the disposal of 337 tonnes of waste linked to the Bhopal gas tragedy in Dhar near Indore.
Vijayvargiya, who is the guardian minister of Dhar, met public representatives, influential people and experts.
"We heard the views of everyone in the meeting. We have assured them we will take full care of public interest," he told reporters after the meeting.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has assured that no harm will be caused to the environment and people during the disposal of toxic waste, Vijayvargiya added.
Highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas had leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal in the intervening night of December 2-3 in 1984, killing 5,479 persons and leaving thousands of others with serious, long-term health issues. It is widely acknowledged as the world's worst industrial disaster.
Forty years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, 337 tons of waste was shifted from the defunct Union Carbide factory for its disposal at a unit in Dhar district.
It was transported at around 9 pm on Wednesday in 12 sealed container trucks via a 'green corridor' from Bhopal to Pithampur industrial area, located 250 km away. The vehicles reached the designated factory at Pithampur at around 4.30 am on Thursday.
While local residents have been holding protests and also plan a 'bandh' in Pithampur on Friday, a group of doctors has filed a PIL in the Indore bench of the High Court seeking a pause on the disposal on health grounds.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 3 rebuked authorities for not clearing the Union Carbide site in Bhopal despite directions from even the Supreme Court. The HC set a four-week deadline to shift the waste.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)