Bhopal, January 2 (IANS). The toxic waste lying at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) complex in Bhopal for the last 40 years was finally shifted to the Pathampur dumping site in Dhar district, about 30 km from Indore, on Wednesday.
About 337 metric tonnes of chemical waste left for Pithampur in 12 container trucks from Bhopal late on Wednesday night amid tight security arrangements by the administration and police.
A green corridor was built between UCIL and Pithampur covering a distance of about 250 kilometres.
On the night of 2-3 December 1984, highly poisonous gas methyl isocyanate was leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal. Due to which about 5,479 people died. Thousands of people continued to struggle with health related problems for a long time. It is considered one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court had on December 3 set a four-week deadline to transfer the toxic substance and said authorities were in a “state of inaction” even 40 years after the gas tragedy. The court had warned the government that if its direction was not followed, contempt proceedings would be taken against it.
Since Sunday till now, more than a hundred people have packed garbage in 30-minute shifts. His health was checked and he was given rest every 30 minutes.
All the 12 special containers carrying toxic waste have been designed as per the Central Pollution Control Board standards. Each container is leak-proof, fireproof and equipped with GPS tracking.
Swatantra Kumar Singh, Director, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, said, “The Pithampur plant has been specially built for the safe incineration of waste generated by industrial units across the state. In 2015, UCIL was involved in disposal of 10 metric tonnes of waste. A trial run was conducted following all prescribed safety parameters under the monitoring of CPCB.”
–IANS
DKM/KR
