It's been 25 years since the gas leak disaster in Bhopal, India. After a long trial, appeal, toxic emissions are considered the world's worst industrial disasters, to be pronounced today.
It was December 23, 1984, disaster struck a densely occupied area in the city of Bhopal, India, under cover of night, when a wrong tank in the now defunct pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Ltd. accidentally released about 41 tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate, or MIC.
Union Carbide India Ltd, the Indian supplementary of Union Carbide Corp., or UCC, a wholly owned supplementary of Dow Chemical Co.
Union Carbide India Ltd. was recognized in Bhopal in 1969 to formulate pesticides. MIC is one of the intermediates used to produce pesticides. Until 1979, Union Carbide India Ltd., was to import the MIC from the United States since 1979, Union Carbide India Ltd produces its own MIC.
MIC is a very unsafe chemical. The tragic gas leak that took place that fateful night in Bhopal factory killed thousands and caused prolonged disability and sickness among the survivors.
A central team visited the Bhopal gas plant after the mishap found errors in the safety and maintenance.
Taking moral blame, UCC settled a civil case in 1989 by agreeing to pay the victims about $ 470,000,000. But UCC refused to accept legal blame for the plant in Bhopal, as this facility was driven by the Indian subsidiary, Union Carbide India Ltd.
Union Carbide Corporation had 50.9% stake in Indian supplementary, Union Carbide India Ltd, and the remaining shares were owned by various Indian investors. In 1994, UCC sold the entire stake in Union Carbide India Limited to MacLeod Russell (India) Ltd. Union Carbide India Ltd was renamed Eveready Industries Ltd., India
Indictment was filed against eight Indian officials in Union Carbide India Ltd., and Warren Anderson, who was then chairman of Union Carbide Corp., USA. Only the eight Indian officials are facing trial, as Anderson is absconding.
Had the Indian subsidiary has implemented various changes optional by a three-member security team from Union Carbide headquarters in the United States, or had the safety and environmental laws and regulations were enforced strictly, so disaster would not have happened.
The Bhopal gas victims want the death penalty for defendants, but defense council claims that their clients were in no way responsible for the deadly mishap.
With the conviction was scheduled to be marked tomorrow, leftovers to see what comes to Bhopal's case against Union Carbide.
1984 was a very painful event, but never mind 25 years later, but the guilty got punished, but only 2-year sentence is too low, you know the people of Bhopal still suffer from chronic illness and side-effects of the incidents, such as diabetes, cancer and birth defects in children. http://www.lawisgreek.com/bhopal-tragedy-verdict
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