Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) The ministerial panel on the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy has recommended in its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson’s extradition be sought from the US, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who heads the group, said Monday.
“We have dealt with all the issues, compensation, legal issues, including the issues of pursuing the extradition of Warren Anderson, the legal options available with the government of India,” Chidambaram told reporters here, after the panel finalised its report.

Anderson was Union Carbide boss in 1984 when the toxic gas leak from its Bhopal plant killed and maimed thousands.

The report, the home minister said, will be presented to Manmohan Singh at 3.30 p.m.

The report will be considered by the cabinet. “The prime minister indicated to me yesterday that he would hold a special cabinet meeting on Friday, June 25, to consider the report of the GoM,” Chidambaram said.

He said the group of ministers (GoM) “most importantly discussed the remediation matters and health and health-related matters”.

“Kindly remember that our focus is on bringing relief to the people who have suffered. There are few thousands who continues to suffer. We think we have made significant recommendations.”

The panel met for four sessions since Friday to deliberate on the areas that require attention for providing relief to people affected by the world’s worst industrial disaster. The panel again met early Monday to finalise the minutes.

In its last meeting Sunday, the panel is said to have decided to recommend a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking reconsideration of its order diluting the charges against the accused and fixing criminal liability in the tragedy.

The Supreme Court in 1996 had diluted the charges against the accused from culpable homicide not amounting to murder to negligence.

Among the key issues the GoM discussed were relief and rehabilitation of the families of victims of the gas leak on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984, when nearly 40 tonnes of methyl isocynate gas leaked out of storage tanks of the Union Carbide factory, killing an estimated 20,000 people over the years.

The panel also discussed environment-related issues, strengthening the legal framework to deal with industrial disasters, and exploring options of pressing liability claims against Dow Chemicals that bought Union Carbide in 2001.