Bhopal tragedy victims sceptical of relief package

Surjobai’s grouse is that neither Prime Minister Manmohan Singh nor Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have paid a single visit to the gas affected areas till now.

“If Chouhan,who lives in Bhopal,cannot find time to visit the gas affected areas,how can one complain about Singh,who stays in New Delhi,” she said.

Madhya Pradesh Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Minister,Babulal Gaur have visited the factory,but even he has not been to the gas affected areas,she complained.

Manik Lal,another gas victim in his mid-40s,also does not seem to be taken in by the compensation announced by the government.

“I doubt that we are going to get the enhanced compensation,” he said.

65-year-old Abrar Mohammad,who was left with a flawed eyesight after the gas leak,said,“A lot of things are being talked about the compensation,but I am not sure that all gas affected persons will get it.” According to Gaur also,there is not much to rejoice as the compensation will be given only to 42,208 people out of the total 5,48,245 gas affected victims.

Kins of 5,295 people who died in the tragedy will get a compensation of Rs 10 lakh; 3,199 permanently disabled persons will get Rs five lakh; 33,672 temporarily disabled persons will get Rs three lakh; and 42 whose abilities were temporarily suffered will get Rs one lakh,Gaur said.

“I am totally unhappy with the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) which met in New Delhi to discuss the relief measures to be taken for the gas tragedy victims after the Bhopal court judgement,” Gaur had said.

However,the victims praised the efforts made by the government in providing them clean water by constructing an overhead tank connected with the Kolar pipeline in the city and also through huge water tanks being filled by Municipal Corporation tankers regularly.

Gaur,who recently attended the marathon meeting of GOM on the issue of gas tragedy said that after the announcement of GOM’s recommendations,only kins of 5,295 (dead) will get a compensation of Rs ten lakh; 3,199 permanently disabled persons,Rs five lakh; 33,672 temporarily disabled persons,Rs three lakh; and 42 whose abilities were temporarily suffered Rs one lakh,totalling upto 42,208 cases.

“I am totally unhappy with the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) which met in New Delhi to discuss the relief measures to be taken for the gas tragedy victims after the Bhopal court judgement,” Gaur had said.

The minister opined that there was not much to rejoice as compensation will be given only these 42,208 cases out of the total 5,48,245 gas affected victims.