Amid stir, MP govt to seek more time to get rid of Union Carbide waste

Bhopal, Jan 4 (PTI) Amid growing opposition to the disposal of Union Carbide waste in Pithampur, the Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday said it would request the High Court to grant it more time to carry out the task scientifically.

A mob on Saturday hurled stones at the firm in Pithampur where 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste linked to the Bhopal gas tragedy is proposed to be incinerated, a day after two persons attempted self-immolation amid protests.

Prohibitory orders were clamped under section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Surakhsa Sanhita (BNSS) till January 12.

"We will pray to the Madhya Pradesh High Court to grant us more time to dispose of the waste scientifically. It will be done after taking the people into confidence," Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anurag Jain told a select group of reporters on Saturday.

"I am reiterating what Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on waste disposal on Friday night," he added.

As protests rocked Pithampur, Yadav on Friday said,"The state government stands firmly with the people. We will not allow any harm to the public. We will bring the matter before the court and proceed with any action only in compliance with the court's order".

On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious and long-lasting health issues in Bhopal.

The authorities shifted 337 tonnes of waste from the Carbide factory to Pithampur on Thursday, weeks after the high court pulled up the state government for the 40-year delay in disposing of the waste.

"Right now, the waste is not being disposed of. The court will be apprised about the public feeling before we take a decision," Yadav had said.

Yadav chaired a high-level meeting in Bhopal after two people attempted self-immolation as protests erupted in Pithampur.

"Whatever order the honourable court gives, we will be ready to follow it. We will not move forward until the court issues any direction,' the chief minister added.

Before the waste reached Dhar on Thursday, Swatantra Kumar Singh, director of the state's Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department, told PTI, "If everything is found to be fine, then the waste will be burnt to ashes within three months." "Otherwise, the speed of burning will be slowed down and it might take up to nine months," he had said. PTI