BGPMUS to submit review plea against SC ruling

Bhopal, May 4 (UNI) The Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS), a voluntary organisation working among victims of the 1984 Gas Tragedy, will soon submit a review petition against the Supreme Court dismissing a higher compensation-linked plea today.

''The petition will be submitted within a month. A final option will be to bring the case before the Constitution Bench,'' Sangathan Convenor Abdul Jabbar told reporters here today.

The BGPMUS, certain other organisations and individuals submitted pleas urging that the compensation be hiked five-fold.

''On February 14, 1989, the Centre and Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) reached an understanding whereby the number of deceased was pegged at 3,000 and the number of affected at 1.02 lakh. The UCC doled out 470 million dollars -- Rs 715 crore -- as compensation. We had challenged the victim statistics as they are much higher,'' the activist said.

Mr Jabbar said that local claim courts thus far provided compensation to families of 15,274 deceased and 5.72 lakh affected.

In 1991, the apex court's Constitution Bench ruled that though the compensation was adequate, the Centre would bridge the gap in case of a future shortfall.

UNI