Carbide waste: Centre directed to deposit Rs one crore for cleaning

Jabalpur, Mar 14 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court today directed the Centre to deposit in the state government's account half the amount of the total expenditure of Rs two crore on cleaning the toxic waste of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy from Union Carbide factory premises.

Hearing a petition filed by the Bhopal Gas Morcha's Alok Pratap Singh, a division Bench comprising Chief Justice Anang Kumar Patnaik and Justice Krishna Kumar Lahoti gave the direction and fixed the next date for hearing on May 8.

Petitioner's counsel Naman Nagrath told the court that thousands of people were killed when poisonous gas leaked from Union Carbide factory premises on the intervening night of December 3-4.

He said toxic waste left in the factory premises was polluting water and air causing diseases to people living nearby vicinity.

He requested the court to direct the state government and the Centre to clean the toxic waste.

Last year, the court had directed that a task force be formed -- comprising secretaries of the Centre and the state government and five experts -- to prepare an action plan and bear half the expenditure for cleaning the premises.

State Advocate General Ravinandan Singh told the court the MP State Pollution Control Board had spent Rs 90 lakh on cleaning toxic waste under the guidance of the expert committee.

The total expenditure was expected to be around Rs two crore.

He requested the Centre be directed to provide half the amount.

Th High Court directed the Union Petroleum and Chemical department to deposit half the amount in the provision for expenditure made by the state government.

UNI