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Two people sustained burn injuries after some of the protestors attempted self-immolation during protests against the shifting of toxic waste materials from Bhopal Gas tragedy site to Pithampur in Dhar district for its disposal on Friday, according to eyewitnesses.
After four decades of the tragic incident, "Bhopal gas tragedy"- touted as the world's worst industrial disaster, the toxic waste materials from the Bhopal's Union Carbide factory site were transported to Pithampur for its safe disposal on the night of January 1. The Bhopal gas tragedy had claimed the lives of several thousand people after deadly gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984. One of the injured persons, Rajkumar Raghuvanshi told ANI, "I have done this (self immolation) against the toxic waste brought here." The crowd were staging the protest for their demand to send back the containers carrying the hazardous waste from Pithampur. After the incident, the police present on the spot immediately shifted some of the protestors and sent them to the hospital. Earlier, the police also used mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd staging the protest. Pithampur SDM, Vivek Gurjar said, "Currently, people are protesting in view of the waste materials at the Pithampur bus stand and we are trying to convince them that the process (incineration of waste) is being done scientifically. The entire process will be performed under full supervision and in a scientific manner. I appeal to the people to maintain peace and cooperate with the administration." Earlier, among the protesters, a social worker Sandeep Raghuvanshi demanded that they had only one request from the state government that the containers of the toxic waste should be sent back from Pithampur. "There is anger among the public and the local administration is presenting false reports at higher ups that there wasn't any anger but it is. We have only one request from the state government that the containers of the toxic waste should be sent back from Pithampur. My strike would be continued till the 12 containers of waste brought from Bhopal were sent back from here," Raghuvanshi told ANI. Locals also called for a 'Band' and closed their shops to mark their protest against the incineration of the toxic waste in Pithampur. A local shopkeeper told ANI, "The reason for shutting down the shop is that the 40-year-old toxic waste from Bhopal has been brought here in Pithampur for its disposal. We will not let the waste be incinerated here. We are with the people of Pithampur. In order to protect our people, we have voluntarily shut down our shops to mark our protest. We want from the government that this waste should not be incinerated in Pithampur." Earlier on Thursday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav clarified that the disposal of waste would have no impact on the environment at all. "For the last 40 years, the people of Bhopal have been living with this waste. Many of the Government of India's organisations were involved in the disposal of this toxic waste. Earlier, the 10 MT waste was incinerated in Pithampur as a trial run in 2015 and the report of it prepared in the presence of scientists was presented before the Supreme Court. It was revealed in the report that the disposal of the hazardous waste has no impact on the environment. After detailed analysis of the reports, the MP High Court directed to incinerate the remaining hazardous waste," the CM said. He added that the state government's attempt was to move forward by taking everyone and presenting information with transparency before them. He had instructed cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya to hold a meeting in Dhar with local representatives and make them understand about it with transparency. (ANI)
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