MP: 40 years after Bhopal gas disaster, toxic waste leaves Union Carbide factory for disposal
Bhopal, Jan 1: Forty years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, the shifting of some 377 tons of hazardous waste began from the defunct Union Carbide factory on Wednesday night for its disposal, an official said.
The toxic waste is being shifted in 12 sealed container trucks to the Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, 250 km away from Bhopal.
"12 container trucks carrying the waste set off on a non-stop journey around 9 pm. A green corridor has been created for the vehicles which are expected to reach Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district in seven hours," said Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department Director Swatantra Kumar Singh.
He said around 100 people worked in 30-minute shifts since Sunday to pack and load the waste in trucks.
"They underwent health check-ups and were given rest every 30 minutes," he added.
Highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killing at least 5,479 people and leaving thousands with serious and long-lasting health issues. It is considered to be among the worst industrial disasters in the world.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 3 rebuked authorities for not clearing the Union Carbide site in Bhopal despite directions from even the Supreme Court and set a four-week deadline to shift the waste, observing that even 40 years after the gas tragedy, authorities were in a "state of inertia".
The high court bench had warned the government of contempt proceedings if its directive was not followed.
"If everything is found to be fine, the waste will be incinerated within three months. Otherwise, it might take up to nine months," Singh told PTI on Wednesday morning.
Initially, some of the waste will be burnt at the waste disposal unit in Pithampur and the residue (ash) will be examined to find whether any harmful elements are left, Singh said.
The smoke from the incinerator will pass through special four-layer filters so that the surrounding air is not polluted, he added.
Once it is confirmed that no traces of toxic elements are left, the ash will be covered by a two-layer membrane and buried to ensure it does not come in contact with soil and water in any way.
A team of experts under the supervision of officials of the Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Board will carry out the process, Singh said.
Some local activists have claimed that 10 tons of Union Carbide waste was incinerated on a trial basis in Pithampur in 2015, after which the soil, underground water and water sources in surrounding villages became polluted.
But Singh rejected the claim, stating that the decision to dispose of the waste at Pithampur was taken only after the report of the 2015 test and all the objections were examined.
There would be no reason to worry, he said.
A large number of people had on Sunday taken out a protest march in Pithampur to oppose the disposal of Union Carbide waste in the city which has a population of about 1.75 lakh.
12 trucks carrying 337 tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, stored for 40 years, left at 9:05 p.m. for Pithampur near Indore. The waste is expected to arrive early on January 2nd, following a 250-km green corridor with heavy security.
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Voter list row: Election officer says Sanjay Singh's allegations 'incorrect, baseless'
New Delhi, Jan 4: The district election officer of New Delhi on Saturday rejected as "baseless" AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh's allegations related to the deletion of voter names in the assembly constituency from where party convener and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will contest upcoming polls.
The allegations of Singh that the district election officer (DEO), New Delhi, did not provide details of applicants seeking vote deletion and that the officer was "deliberately" deleting names of voters were "factually incorrect and baseless", the DEO said in a post on X.
The district magistrate of New Delhi doubles as the DEO during elections.
Singh on Friday met the New Delhi DE0 seeking names of those who filed applications for deletion of names of voters in the constituency.
The AAP has accused the BJP of filing applications in bulk for the deletion of names of voters who support the Kejriwal-led party across Delhi.
The officer asserted that the process of deleting any name from the electoral roll is carried out after a thorough verification strictly in accordance with the Election Commission's guidelines and a mere submission of a list for deletion does not start the process.
"As per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the summary of Form 7, which includes the names of both the objectors and objectees, is shared with all recognised political parties including AAP on a weekly basis through Form 10," the New Delhi DEO said in a post on X.
This information is also uploaded on the official website of CEO Delhi for public access and transparency. Hence, the statement that objectors' names are not being shared is factually not correct, he said.
The officer said the process of deleting any name from the electoral roll is carried out strictly in accordance with the guidelines issued by the ECI. The process starts with the filing of form 7 and involves a thorough field verification by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), BLO supervisors, and other officers as per prescribed norms.
"Mere submitting a list for deletion doesn't start the deletion process," he said.
The officer cited two applications filed for deletion of the name of Singh's wife Anita Singh from New Delhi's voter list, saying upon field verification, the BLO found her residing at the given address and both Form 7 applications were rejected.
An FIR was also lodged against the applicants for wrongful filing of Form 7, he added.
"The allegation that the DEO, New Delhi, is deliberately deleting the names of genuine electors is entirely baseless and unsubstantiated. All deletions are carried out in strict compliance with ECI norms to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the electoral roll," he said.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva charged that the AAP leaders including Singh were threatening election officers to ensure fake votes are not deleted from the New Delhi constituency.
"Kejriwal is losing from the New Delhi Assembly constituency, and this fear of defeat has left the Aam Aadmi Party in a state of panic," he alleged.
The AAP in a statement alleged that the BJP has been caught "red-handed" while attempting to manipulate the voters list.
The two individuals who had submitted applications to delete the vote of Sanjay Singh's wife were backed by BJP leaders, the party alleged.
After the summary revision process closed last month, the BJP filed applications to delete 5,000 names and add 7,500 names in the New Delhi Assembly constituency, claimed Aam Aadmi Party.
"Bharatiya Janata Party is conducting a targeted operation to delete names of AAP voters in New Delhi. Names of citizens living here for 40 to 50 years are being deleted, tomorrow BJP might even get their homes bulldozed and claim that they never lived here," Singh alleged on Friday.
