MP govt to seek from HC more time for disposal of toxic waste

Amid fierce opposition by locals to the disposal of Union Carbide factory waste at Pithampur, the Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday said it would request the High Court to grant it more time to carry out the task.A mob on Saturday hurled stones at the firm in Pithampur industrial area where 337 tonnes of toxic waste linked to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy is proposed to be incinerated, a day after two persons attempted self-immolation. Prohibitory orders against gathering in the area were clamped, to be in force till January 12.
As per information, at around 10am on Saturday, a mob of around 150 people pelted stones at the incineration unit’s entrance and vandalised the vehicles. The incident took place a day after the district administration issued prohibitory orders under section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Surakhsa Sanhita (BNSS) in a 100m radius of the waste disposal unit.“A few people in the city are spreading rumours that containers have been opened - labourers have fainted,” Pithampur sub-divisional magistrate Pramod Singh Gurjar said. “Nothing has happened. Everything is under the administration’s control...There is peace everywhere. We have issued orders under BNSS 163 for the area in the radius of 100 metres of the site and we expect people to follow that...”
The 337 tonnes of waste was shifted to Pithampur in 12 sealed container trucks on Wednesday, with authorities providing a green corridor for the trucks to move without any trouble. The Madhya Pradesh high court, which had on December 3 pulled up the state government for the 40-year delay in disposing of the waste and set a four-week deadline to transport it to a disposal site, is expected to hear the matter on Monday.
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 people and leaving thousands with serious and long-lasting health issues in Bhopal.