Protest in TN against Tata's offer to clean up Bhopal

Chennai, Mar 3 (UNI) Supporters and campaigners of the survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy today participated in a rally to oppose the recent offer by Tata chairman Ratan Tata to facilitate the re-entry of Union Carbide and its new owner 'Dow Chemical' into India.

The rally that began at Monroe Statue in Anna Salai was led by Tamil Nadu Women's Collective members from Chennai.

Placards and banners condemning the offer of Ratan Tata were part of the rally.

According to the rally organiser Dharmesh Shah, Tata's offer comes 22 years after the disaster and coincidentally when Ratan Tata was the co-chair of the US-India CEO Forum, a high-powered club of Indian and American industry leaders that seek to redesign Indian laws and policies to make them friendly to big business.

Andrew Liveris, the CEO of Dow Chemical was also a member of the Forum.

The organisers also alleged that in December 1984, a poisonous gas leak from Union Carbide's pesticide factory killed more than 8000 people.

Several thousand tonnes of toxic wastes were abandoned at the factory site and have leaked dangerous chemicals into the groundwater.

Other participants in the rally included members of local fishing groups, youth organizations and unorganized labour rights unions.

UNI