Bhopal revisited~I

Normally, MIC should be stored in small steel drums. UCIL stored MIC in a large tank whose alarm system was not being checked daily. UCIL kept one manual back-up system instead of the four-stage system which was essential; the flare tower and the vent gas scrubber installed for tracing escaping gas was out of service for more than four months; the refrigeration system designed to inhibit volatilization of MIC was kept idle. Besides, MIC was stored at room temperature instead of 4.50C as prescribed in the manual. These technical flaws were encouraged by the management of UCIL

- DILIP DATTA

The Bhopal gas tragedy is no doubt the biggest industrial catastrophe of the 20th century. It happened due to the highest level of callousness and irresponsibility shown by a multinational, Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). Tales of this tragic incident which happened around midnight on 2 December 1984 and its after effects are not unknown to us.

Thanks to the media's regular reporting on the misery of victims, denial of justice to them, long lasting effects of the poisonous methyl iso-cyanate (MIC) gas, mishandling of the case by both the Central and State governments and controversial verdicts by the judiciary, besides seminal research works on the issue, we are aware of the intricacy and complicity of the disaster. But then, why have we selected this topic now?

The answer is simple. It is the outcry of thousands of Bhopal people for justice; it is the picture of those crippled, deformed and ailing children who have come to this world without any fault of theirs.

It is the motivation one spontaneously gets from the pale faces and helpless looks of the kids born as the next generation of the Bhopal victims. It is our conscience that makes us rise against the wrongs committed by others.

In this article, we will not repeat what had happened in the past, but focus on some hard facts that may have been forgotten by people with the passage of time. The objective is to help readers recapture how the world's worst industrial disaster was dealt with by our elected representatives.