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Journalism of Courage
It is unclear why the Union government is dragging its feet on the matter. As the Express has just reported, a New York court gave an unprecedented ruling that the Union Carbide can be ordered to clean up its abandoned factory and its contaminated environs, provided the Government of India or the Madhya Pradesh 8212; which owns the land on which the factory is situated 8212; urges the court to order such a relief. The state government has had no hesitation in giving its assent to such a step, but New Delhi, for some reason, is displaying a remarkable apathy on the issue, with the law ministry claiming it is a matter for the environment ministry to settle, and the environment ministry appearing totally clueless on the matter.
In the process, time is running out on an opportunity 8212; the court had set a deadline of June 30 8212; to get Union Carbide to clean up the toxic trap that is the Bhopal factory today. Neither the Madhya Pradesh government, nor indeed the Government of India, is in any position to effect such a massive clean up given the technology and funds entailed. If the Union government8217;s prevarication is caused by the perception that such a go-head could jeopardise any claims arising out of the gas leak, then it seems to be a case of misplaced anxiety. As a battery of Indian legal luminaries have opined, the contamination in and around the Union Carbide factory is an issue quite distinct from that of compensation for the victims of the gas leak and the court sees it as such.
