'Don't want this toxic waste in our area'

"We don't want this toxic waste in our area," is the refrain of locals at Tarpura, a village adjacent to Pithampur's waste incineration unit where a huge quantity of waste from Bhopal's Union Carbide factory has been brought for disposal.

An uneasy calm prevailed in the village with a population of around 20,000 on Saturday amid heavy police deployment.

The plan to dispose of 337 tons of waste linked to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, among the worst industrial disasters in the world, has sparked off protests in the area.

Some locals claimed that when ten tonnes of Union Carbide waste was disposed of at the Pithampur facility on a trial basis in 2015, it led to contamination of soil, underground water and water sources in nearby villages.

The incineration of a huge quantity of toxic waste will be hazardous for humans as well as the environment, the villagers fear, even though the Madhya Pradesh government has sought to assure them that there would be no harmful consequences.

The administration has issued prohibitory orders in the 100-meter radius around the waste disposal unit in Pithampur and deployed a large police force.

Many residents of Tarpura work in industrial units in Pithampur.

"Our demand is that the toxic waste from Union Carbide factory should not be incinerated in Pithampur," Kailash Sharma, a resident of the village, told PTI.

Sharma, who shifted to Pithampur from Bihar with his family of six some years ago in search of work, claimed that the attendance of labourers in local factories decreased after the government started transporting the Union Carbide waste to Pithampur.

Some other labourers living in the village endorsed his claim.

Pithampur, home to around 1,250 factories, is the main industrial hub of Madhya Pradesh.

Bhaya, a youth from Tarpura village, said, "We want this waste to be sent back to Bhopal."

Protests rocked Pithampur, around 50 km from Dhar district headquarters, on Friday after the trucks carrying the toxic waste reached Ramky Enviro company where the incineration is to be carried out.

Two people even attempted self-immolation and are now undergoing treatment.

The administration on Saturday held meetings with local people and public representatives to assure them that their views will be heard.

Dhar Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh said, "Life is normal in Pithampur at the moment. We are keeping a close watch on the situation."

District Collector Priyank Mishra said further steps will be taken regarding the disposal only after taking the local people into confidence.

Ajay, who lives near Bokaneshwar temple in Tarpura village, showed a well which he claimed to be highly contaminated. "Earlier the whole village used to drink the water of this well, but after the waste disposal unit started (in 2015), it is no longer fit for any use.

"This waste should be destroyed somewhere else," he added.

On December 3, the Madhya Pradesh High Court set a four-week deadline to transfer the waste from Bhopal to Pithampur, warning of contempt action if the directive was not followed.

After the self-immolation attempts on Friday, the state government called an emergency meeting. Afterwards, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the government would inform the high court about the circumstances and difficulties before going ahead with disposal.

On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious and long-lasting health issues.