Nineteen years after the gas tragedy, this is the one year when for most residents of Bhopal, the anniversary has been overshadowed by political climate.
But today, as the government once again observed the ritual of a sarva-dharma sabha to remember the dead, with not a single living victim of the tragedy in attendance, the occasion was another strong reminder of the gap between the promises and achievements of the Digvijay Singh regime.
As the Governor spoke today at the function, Minister for Gas Relief Aarif Aqeel looked on, perhaps remembering a similar occasion last year when he had openly contradicted the previous Governor’s appeal for an independent inquiry into the waste still lying at the Union Carbide site, allegedly contaminating groundwater. Aqeel took this stand even in the face of evidence from his own government’s labs.
Sons of exposed parents also showed abnormal growth with their upper bodies being disproportionate. The government, however, has still not initiated a programme to study or monitor the continuing health impact among the victims and their descendant