After 40 years, convoy carrying gas tragedy waste heads out of Bhopal | India News

BHOPAL/INDORE: Trucks carrying hazardous waste left over from the 1984 gas tragedy began leaving the abandoned Union Carbide site in Bhopal towards a disposal plant in Pithampur, 230 kilometers away, on Wednesday night, as Workers at other factories in the industrial estate near Indore expressed concern for their safety.
“Transportation to Pithampur has started. The convoy has been reinforced with the highest security protocol ever seen in the movement of industrial waste in the country,” said Swatantra Kumar Singh, director of the MP’s gas relief and rehabilitation department.
TOI had reported on Wednesday that the trucks were loaded and ready to move. At 9 pm, the convoy carrying 337 tonnes of waste in sealed containers left Bhopal, escorted by police and emergency vehicles along a green corridor.
Forty years of waiting and four days of suspense had ended. The scars of the world’s worst industrial disaster may never heal, but one chapter of the tragic episode is coming to an end. It would take about seven hours to reach the final destination, Singh said.
MP pollution control board explains safety measures to allay fears over toxic waste disposal
The convoy of 40 vehicles stretched for a kilometer. Twelve trucks transport the dangerous cargo. It’s a non-stop, non-stop journey to Pithampur Waste Management Pvt Ltd, where the waste will be incinerated. Five district administrations are on high alert. Around 700 security agents have been deployed for the convoy.
“UCIL’s 337 tonnes of waste will be scientifically disposed of within three to nine months,” Singh said.
It took strong words from the Madhya Pradesh HC for the administration to move forward with the long-pending disposal of this toxic waste. “Are you waiting for another tragedy?” a division bench of Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain asked authorities in its December 3 order. HC set a deadline of four weeks to shift the hazardous waste for disposal.
Singh has repeatedly assured that all safety factors have been taken into account and that there is no risk to the environment, land or people around the waste disposal plant in Pithampur.
On Wednesday, with an aim to alleviate anxiety among residents and industrialists of Pithampur over the Union Carbide Waste removal, MP Pollution Control Board regional officer in Indore, Shriniwas Dwivedi, issued a video statement explaining the safety precautions. “A special shed has been created with a concrete floor. It is watertight,” Dwivedi says in the video, adding: “No activity affecting people, farm, property, land or environment will be carried out.” atmosphere”.
In Pithampur, however, workers at other plants are worried about possible consequences. “Employees are scared. We are getting calls from relatives of our employees inquiring about the situation in Pithampur. Some employees have taken leave. The circumstances are extraordinary and everyone is under immense pressure,” said Dr Darshan Kataria, an industrialist from Pithampur. .
Another industrialist in Sector 2 of Pithampur, where the waste disposal factory is located, said he has lost count of the calls made to various government departments and industrial colleagues about contingency measures.
“What happened in Bhopal was an unfortunate accident, but what is happening now can be handled by taking everyone in confidence. It presents a difficult situation and is deeply disturbing for us as we cannot be immune to the problem,” Rajendra Modi said. , director of an engineering products manufacturing unit in Pithampur.
Local industrialists say government officials did not initiate discussions with them or inform them about the safety measures put in place for industries and residents near the disposal facility.
Swatantra Kumar Singh, through public statements, has repeatedly allayed safety concerns and assured that disposal and incineration will be carried out under expert supervision without adverse consequences.