Ramesh apologises for dumping of Carbide waste

Pithampur, Jul 11: Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has sought an apology from the people of Madhya Pradesh's Pithampur village, admitting that the lethal waste was secretly smuggled out during the night hours from the Carbide factory and dumped in the area.

Ramesh, however, assured the people that this would not be repeated, asserting that there should be transparency in the transferring of garbage.

"I want to delink the union carbide issue from the normal issue of the running of this facility. Many people recognized that such a facility is required. But most people worried that the 400 tonnes or so from Bhopal will come here and will be incinerated here and it will have adverse consequences for people," said Ramesh during his visit to the village to check the safety angle in the TSD (treatment, storage and disposal) incinerator facility.

"That issue I want to delink. And I have reassured the people that whatever we do at Pithampur will be done in a transparent and consultative manner and we will not do anything unilaterally," he added.

Ramesh further said he was not the Minister of State for Environment and Forests at that time.

"No hasty decision would be made for the disposal of the lethal waste. Technical examination of reports about ground water being contaminated would be carried out, and NGOs will be consulted before the safe disposal," said Ramesh.

Regarding the waste contaminating the ground water, he said while the State Government will carry out the disposal work, the Central Government would fund it.

The Central Government transferred 40 tonnes of trash from Bhopal to Pithampur village in 2008.

ANI