New Delhi: The Group of Ministers on the Bhopal gas tragedy, headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram, will recommend increase in the compensation amount to the victims and clean up of the Union Carbide plant when it meets for the first time on June 18. It will also look at improving infrastructure for those are still suffering due to the leak of the deadly methyl isocyanate almost 26 years ago.
The GoM will meet for the first time on Friday to look into the Bhopal gas tragedy. Union Environment Ministry is likely to be made the nodal agency for the clean up of the site on a priority.
A new and tougher law to fix responsibility for industrial tragedies will also be discussed. The GoM will study such laws which are already in force in other countries and will also propose the setting up of a commission to look into gas leak fallout.
For the increased compensation amount the fund will be given by the Centre while the Madhya Pradesh government will be the implementing authority.
But all the proposals will only be advisory and the final decision on the matter will be taken by the Union Cabinet, which will consider the recommendations.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed that the GoM should submit its report within 10 days to the Union Cabinet.
The GoM was reconstituted to look at relief and rehabilitation of Bhopal gas victims after the verdict in the case on June 7. Apart from Chidambaram the other members are Ghulam Nabi Azad, M Veerappa Moily, S Jaipal Reddy, Kamal Nath, Selja, MK Alagiri, Prithviraj Chavan and Jairam Ramesh.
A Bhopal trial court has convicted eight Indian officials of Union Carbide for their criminal negligence that triggered the world's worst industrial disaster in which over 15,000 people were killed and over 5 lakh affected. But all the convicts were released on bail the same day after the verdict was announced.
The GoM will also consider appealing against the Bhopal court's verdict.
Comments
0 comment