Mob pelts stones at Bhopal tragedy waste incineration unit

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January 04, 2025 20:35 IST

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A mob on Saturday pelted stones at the firm in Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district where 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste linked to the Bhopal gas tragedy is proposed to be incinerated, a police official said.

IMAGE: Toxic waste from Bhopal's Union Carbide factory is being taken away in containers to Pithampur. Photograph: ANI Photo

A mob of 100-150 persons pelted stones at the gate of the unit, Pithampur police station inspector Om Prakash Ahir told PTI.

A probe is underway to identify those behind the incident and take further legal action, Ahir added.

 

The incident comes a day after the town was rocked by protests against the disposal plan amid a bandh call given by the Pithampur Bachao Samiti.

On Friday, a mob of 500-600 persons had marched to Ramky Group's Industrial Waste Management Private Limited premises, where the waste is set to be incinerated, but police managed to disperse them in time.

Hours later, the district administration had clamped prohibitory orders under section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Surakhsa Sanhita (BNSS) around the premises of the unit.

It will be in force till January 12 and has been invoked to avoid loss of life and property, display of arms, celebratory firing and maintaining peace around the incineration facility, the order issued by district authorities on Friday evening read.

On Saturday, senior officials led by Indore divisional commissioner Deepak Singh and inspector general Anurag held a meeting with public representatives in the hall of the Pithampur civic body.

After the meeting, Singh told reporters the law and order situation was under control and asserted there was need to improve communication with residents of the area.

"There will be constant communication between the police administration and the local people. Whatever process is going on for the disposal of Union Carbide, further action will be taken as per the order of the honourable court," he said.

All communication will be done with complete transparency and people must not pay heed to rumours, Singh added.

Inspector General Anurag said police have controlled the situation with patience.

"Police force has been deployed and the situation has remained peaceful. People must not believe in rumours," he said.

He said the two persons who had attempted self-immolation during protests on Friday sustained 10-15 per cent burn injuries and are currently under treatment at Choithram Hospital in Indore.

They are out of danger as per doctors, the IG added.

On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, methyl isocyanate (MIC) 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 in Bhopal.

The authorities shifted 337 tonnes of waste from the Carbide factory to Pithampur for scientific disposal. The material reached the incineration unit in Pithampur on Thursday.

Pithampur, about 50 kilometres from the Dhar district headquarters, has a population of about 1.75 lakh and its industrial area here has nearly 700 factories in three sectors.

Police have registered five cases in connection with Friday protests that took place amid a bandh call given by the Pithampur Bachao Samiti.

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