Dhar: A group of local residents staged a protest on Friday against the transportation of hazardous waste materials from the Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal to Pithampur in Dhar district. The protesters demanded that the containers carrying the toxic waste be sent back to Bhopal. This comes after the hazardous materials were shifted to Pithampur for disposal on January 1, four decades after the infamous Bhopal gas tragedy, which claimed thousands of lives.

Protests and 'Bandh' call

The protests against the disposal of the toxic waste have intensified, with locals expressing their anger at the government’s decision. Sandeep Raghuvanshi, a social worker, voiced his frustration, saying, "There is anger among the public and the local administration is presenting false reports at higher ups that there wasn't any anger but it is. We have only one request from the state government that the containers of the toxic waste should be sent back from Pithampur. My strike would be continued till the 12 containers of waste brought from Bhopal were sent back from here."

Locals also called for a 'Bandh' (shutdown) to mark their protest, closing their shops in solidarity. A local shopkeeper explained, "The reason for shutting down the shop is that the 40-year-old toxic waste from Bhopal has been brought here in Pithampur for its disposal. We will not let the waste be incinerated here. We are with the people of Pithampur. In order to protect our people, we have voluntarily shut down our shops to mark our protest. We want from the government that this waste should not be incinerated in Pithampur."

Tensions escalated as the police were forced to use lathi charges to disperse the protesting crowd. The use of force added to the growing concerns surrounding the disposal of the toxic waste in the region.

Chief Minister's statement

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav responded to the concerns, reassuring the public that the disposal of the hazardous waste would not impact the environment.

He stated, "For the last 40 years, the people of Bhopal have been living with this waste. Many of the Government of India's organisations were involved in the disposal of this toxic waste. Earlier, the 10 MT waste was incinerated in Pithampur as a trial run in 2015 and the report of it prepared in the presence of scientists was presented before the Supreme Court. It was revealed in the report that the disposal of the hazardous waste has no impact on the environment. After detailed analysis of the reports, the MP High Court directed to incinerate the remaining hazardous waste."

The Chief Minister further clarified that the state government’s efforts were transparent, and that the process was being carried out with the involvement of all stakeholders.

"My attempt is to move forward by taking everyone and presenting information with transparency before them," he added.

CM Yadav also instructed Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya to meet with local representatives in Dhar to address the concerns and provide clarity on the matter.

Bhopal gas tragedy aftermath

The Union Carbide factory, where the deadly gas leak occurred in 1984, continues to haunt the region. The recent action of transporting 377 tons of toxic waste from the defunct factory site to Pithampur has sparked fears among locals.

The gas leak in Bhopal is regarded as one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, with thousands of people dying and many others suffering from long-term health issues.

(Agency inputs)