Two men sustained burn injuries while participating in protests against the incineration of 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal at a facility in Pithampur. The two men were identified as Raju Patel and Rajkumar Raghuvanshi. Police are yet to ascertain the cause of the fire. Their actions were swiftly thwarted by fellow protesters who intervened to extinguish the flames. "They were immediately rushed to a community health centre for first aid and later transferred to a private hospital in Indore for further treatment," said Superintendent of Police Dhar Manoj Kumar Singh. With a population of about 1.75 lakh and its industrial area with 700 factories, Pithampur is a bustling industrial town near Indore, and the government’s plans to dispose of the waste in the town have long been met with protests from activists and residents with petitions being filed in the HC asking for a stay in the disposal of the waste. Protests continued in several parts of the town through the day amid a bandh call given by Pithampur Bachao Samiti, with a mob marching to the industrial unit in which the waste is set to be incinerated. On Friday, Pithampur was closed down as shop owners and business establishments remained closed in solidarity with the protesters. Senior officials including the SP and Collector wearing riot gear tried to assuage fears by talking directly to the protestors. Acting on inputs police officers swiftly diffused calls for road blockade. Several protestors were also lathi-charged by the police to maintain law and order. "I was at the spot today with the other senior officials and we have been trying to speak to the protestors. We will not shy away from taking strict action against those who will not follow the rules,” SP Singh warned. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav assured that the "the state government will never want any citizen to face any problem". "According to the Supreme Court, that space is suitable. I appeal to people that we shouldn't be influenced by fake rumours. Government will do the management of Union Carbide waste only with the guidance of scientists.we will never take a step that can put any person's life at risk,” Yadav said. Social worker Sandeep Raghuvanshi, one of those at the protests, said the local administration is “falsely” claiming to their superiors that there wasn’t public anger. “We have only one request from the state government that the containers of the toxic waste should be sent back from Pithampur,” he said. As the administration takes the flank for its lack of outreach to educate the public on waste disposal, politicians from Indore, across the political divide, have expressed their concerns over the disposal. Congress state president Jitu Patwari has alleged that the waste disposal could jeopardise the health of Indore's citizens. "We don’t want to politicise the issue, but till experts reach a clear opinion on waste disposal at Pithampur, the process should be stopped,” he said. Former Lok Sabha Speaker and senior BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan echoed these sentiments. “The plan to burn Union Carbide's toxic waste in Pithampur has raised widespread concern. The Ramky project, which is set up for incinerating industrial and chemical waste, is under scrutiny. Jitu Patwari, a responsible citizen and former MLA, has voiced his concerns, which are shared by many, including public representatives from Indore,” he said. Dhar Collector Priyank Mishra said that in April 2014, that a trial run of 10 metric tonnes of UCIL waste be conducted at Pithampur under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, New Delhi following which an investigation was conducted on Health assessments in nearby villages, impact on crop productivity and testing the quality of local water sources. "In all three areas, it was found that the results were negligible, with no adverse effects observed," Mishra said. He said approximately 358 tonnes of Union Carbide waste were identified in Bhopal. "Over 60 percent of this comprised local soil, while the remaining 40 percent consisted of Sevin naphthol and reactor residues, and semi-processed pesticide waste. Sevin naphthol residues are by-products of the production process of methyl isocyanate and pesticides. Their toxicity diminishes almost entirely over 25 years," Mishra said. Mishra said the "government is in no rush to finalise the waste disposal process". "Continuous monitoring will be ensured, and all teams, including the Central Pollution Control Board and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, will remain involved. Their reports will be submitted to the government for review," he said. After 40 years, the process of relocating the toxic waste from Bhopal's Union Carbide factory began Wednesday night when 12 containers carrying 337 metric tonnes of hazardous waste departed for Pithampur on January 1. This came after the Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 3 set a four-week deadline for the authorities to dispose of the waste. On December 5, the high court had pulled up the state government over the lack of progress, observing that the authorities were "still in a state of inertia despite 40 years". The project is expected to be executed in 180 days. In the first 20 days, the waste will be transported from the contaminated site to the disposal site in packed drums. Later, this waste is shifted from storage to a blending shed where it is mixed with regents and then packed into small bags weighing 3-9 kg. The actual incineration will happen only on the 76th day, after all related reports are sent to multiple departments for their approval. This, according to officials, is aimed at ensuring the air quality doesn't deteriorate and the incineration takes place according to standard operating procedures.
