Bhopal, Aug 28 (IANS) Bhopal gas victims here Thursday demanded increased compensation, and said the damage to them due to the gas leak was actually five times more than the figure reached by the government of India and the Union Carbide in 1989.Two NGOs, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS) and Bhopal Gas Peedit Sangharsh Sahyog Samiti (BGPSSS) filed a petition before the Bhopal gas welfare commissioner on Thursday on behalf of over 100,000 gas victims seeking five times more compensation for the victims.

Their contention for five fold compensation is that the figure of casualties and injuries in the gas disaster on which the government of India had accepted a compensation of Rs.7.15 billion from the Union Carbide was five time less than the actual numbers.

They pointed out that the courts have compensated over 574,000 persons for injuries and over 15,000 for death due to the disaster while the compensation was taken for only 3,000 deaths and injuries to 100,000 persons.

The two NGOs had earlier filed a petition to this effect signed by over 100,000 gas victims in the Supreme Court but later withdrew the petition in the light of the court’s earlier observation that any gas victim finding the compensation awarded to him/her inadequate may move the court of welfare commissioner seeking more compensation.