The toxic waste of the Union Carbide was shifted from the plant site nearly 40 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, caused by the leakage of poisonous methyl isocyanate (MIC) in the plant on the intervening night of December two-three, 1984.
Bhopal: Disposal of the toxic waste, shifted from the site of now-defunct Union Carbide plant here to the incineration facility at Pithampur in Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh on January three, would not be done until the matter was presented before the court for it to take a decision in this regard.
The state government will present the facts regarding the issue in the next hearing on the matter in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, slated for February 18.
“I want to make it clear that no burning of Union Carbide waste will be done (in the incineration facility in Pithampur) before the matter is presented before the court (for it to decide in this regard). Besides, people will be taken into confidence before the disposal of the toxic waste begins”, Dhar district collector Priyank Mishra said.
The toxic wastes of Union Carbide were sealed in containers and then shifted from its Bhopal plant, now closed, in 12 trucks to Pithampur for disposal on the intervening night of January two-three.
The containers were dismounted from the trucks on Thursday.
Earlier, the shifting of the toxic waste to Pithampur for their disposal had sparked unrest in the industrial town with two people trying self-immolation in protest against the move.
This had forced the state government to move the court seeking time to create awareness among the locals to dispel fears over the disposal of the waste.
The court had granted six weeks for the purpose.
“We had held meetings with people and the local elected representatives across Pithampur to give our presentations before them to convince them (about the safe disposal of the Union Carbide waste)”, Mr Mishra said.
The toxic waste of the Union Carbide was shifted from the plant site nearly 40 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, caused by the leakage of poisonous methyl isocyanate (MIC) in the plant on the intervening night of December two-three, 1984.
