BJP disappointed with Bhopal panel report

New Delhi, June 22 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party has expressed its displeasure over the Group of Ministers (GoM) report on the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster.

Party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain demanded an explanation from the Congress on the safe passage given to former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson.

'There is no mention of who helped Anderson get out of India safely... Congress should give an explanation," Hussain told reporters here.

The BJP, however, welcomed the enhanced compensation of Rs. 983 crore that the panel has recommended for victims of the tragedy.

"We welcome the compensation worth 983 crores provided by the GoM for the victims and for the relatives of the victims. But the culprit company has been totally set free. We want to know, the government should explain that the agreement done by the government of Rajiv Gandhi with the Union Carbide Company in 1989, for that reason the culprit company was set free," Hussain said.

The GoM headed by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram held four sessions since Friday to deliberate on areas that require attention for providing relief to people affected by the disaster.

It recommended a payment of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of the dead.

Those permanently disabled or suffering from critical ailments arising out of the deadly methyl isocyanate gas leak are likely to get Rs five lakh, while those partially debilitated will get Rs three lakh. (ANI)