Commission to probe Bhopal gas tragedy, says MP CM

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said a commission will be formed to look into all aspects of the Bhopal gas tragedy to ensure that the guilty are punished and victims get adequate compensation.

He said his government will ensure that the truth comes to the fore. The victims have not received justice even after 25 years of the tragedy, Chouhan said.

Chouhan said that since 1980, a number of industrial accidents took place in the now defunct Union Carbide Factory but the then state government overlooked it. The then state government told the assembly that there was nothing amiss and the safety measures were in place in the factory.

Chouhan told the assembly that when the toxic gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory, not a single safety equipment worked. Even the tank from which the gas leaked was packed beyond its prescribed capacity, he said.

Holding the then state chief minister responsible for the safe release of prime accused and former Union Carbide Corporation Chairman Warren Anderson from Bhopal after his arrest, Chouhan said Arjun Singh should break his silence over the issue.

"Why was Anderson given a royal send off and provided the state's plane to fly to Delhi in December 1984 a few days after the tragedy? The people want to know about this issue," the chief minister said.

"Singh should break his silence and name the person who asked him to release Anderson," he added.

Chouhan said the state government wanted to declare the remaining 20 wards as gas affected and demanded that people of all 56 wards should be given compensation instead of only 36.

Chouhan said the state government has demanded through a petition in the Supreme Court that Dow Chemicals, which currently owns the defunct factory, should remove the toxic waste lying there.

All the people living around the defunct factory will be provided free water tap connections, he said.

He said efforts were underway to ensure that all gas affected victims get free treatment facility. "The state government stands by the gas tragedy victims and will ensure that they get justice at any cost," he said.