RESIST INDUSTRIAL ANARCHY

Stop Industrial Anarchy

The gas leak at Bhopal inflicted enough injury on the victims. The injury mounted in the following decades.

The killer corporation, Indian industries body, judiciary, the Government and the politicians added to that injury, by doing nothing. The worst injury came from the verdict that almost let off every culprit with a minimum punishment. This could happen only because the legal framework to control hazardous industries is very weak.

And now, government’s persistent resistance to make industry more liable for accidents looks like insult added to the Bhopal injury. The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill is a case in point. Indian government estimated cost of Bhopal disaster at US$ 3 billion. But Supreme Court had settled all liability for Bhopal at US$ 470 million [Rs 2350 crore] in 1989, and that was absolutely a small amount compared to the damage. The nuclear liability bill wants to cap the operators’ liability at a meagre sum of Rs 500 crore per accident! The rest will go from public exchequer. Look at Chernobyl accident. The damage so far has been estimated at US$ 250 billion.

[See, World's worst industrial disasters, industry category and death toll]

And the damage is not only about immediate and direct human beings. There are long term environmental implications of these accidents. Who will pay for the damage of nature? CSE has conclusively shown how groundwater of Bhopal is being contaminated by the killer plants stockpile. The current oil spill by BP in the Gulf of Mexico is also a rude reminder.

Dear friends, it is clear that industry and government know that there will be more accidents coming up! [Anyway, progress means playing with dangerous stuff!] Otherwise, why would the industry lobby against a stricter liability clause and lawmakers would buy that? Common sense tells us that stricter liability works as a deterrent. It will force the company to think thousand times before cutting corners and compromising public health.

Industry’s reluctance to stricter liability is understandable. Their right to profit also includes right to kill. While the going is good, they will make profit. If any accident happens, they expect government, read public money to take care of it. [Just like the financial crisis]

But the government is ours. We cannot just criticise and sit back. Let us all work towards making our government work for us, not for industry.

Right now, a fistful of Bhopal activists is screaming. Join them to secure future.

Say ‘no’ to industrial anarchy.