Forum Post: Remember Dow Chemical and Bhopal India? Anyone ever hear of a resolution reached?
Posted 11 years ago on Aug. 29, 2012, 10:04 p.m. EST by DKAtoday
(33802)
from Coon Rapids, MN
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
A chemical leak in India killed 20,000 people, poisoned 500,000 and caused decades of disease and death. Justice could finally be served on the company responsible but only if the Indian government admits the full scale of the disaster. An international outcry created this opportunity -- now sign the petition to ensure no victim is ignored.
Sign the petition A chemical leak in India killed 20,000 people, poisoned 500,000 and caused decades of disease and death -- now survivors have a real chance to get justice from the company responsible. But the Indian government is working behind the scenes to help shield Dow Chemical from big payouts. It's up to us to step in and bring victory to the victims.
It took weeks of public outcry to convince the government to target Dow at all for these crimes and now Finance Minister Chidambaram is busy erasing almost 80% of the victims from the claim, drastically reducing the possible damages.
Public pressure forced the Minister to support the victims in the first place. Now we have the chance to make this court case a real push for justice. Join the call, when we reach 500,000 signers we will display hard-hitting billboards outside of the two posh clubs the Minister frequents in Delhi:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/justice_for_bhopal_a/?bGfGZcb&v=17421
The Bhopal chemical spill tragedy wrecked the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and scorched the earth for generations. Yet despite this historic destruction, no justice has been served. Union Carbide, the company in charge of the plant, dodged responsibility, then was bought by Dow Chemical who have also refused to pay out fair compensation to the victims still desperate for help dealing with the loss and destruction around them.
Now, after decades of fighting for justice and a big campaign to push the Indian government to act, the petition before the Indian Supreme Court could reopen the case -- paving the way to compensation from Dow to the survivors. But accurately assessing the number of victims is key to ensuring every victim gets a payout if they win. Minister Chidambaram is responsible for a brief, submitted to the court, that eliminated almost 80% of the victims as assessed by the Indian Council of Medical Research.
The Minister is likely working to protect Dow in order to keep India’s investment reputation. We can show him that justice is more important than bending the law to please big corporations! Click below to sign the petition and if we reach 500,000 signers, Avaaz will take this message directly to the front doors of the elite clubs where Chidambaram relaxes:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/justice_for_bhopal_a/?bGfGZcb&v=17421
The Bhopal survivors need allies to win their decades long fight for justice, and we can answer their call. In the past, Avaaz has successful stood with other communities under threat from multinational companies from Guatemala to the Ivory Coast. Now let’s support the victims of Bhopal in their final push for justice.
With hope,
Meredith, Iain, Alaphia, Pascal, Emma, Ricken and the rest of the Avaaz team
MORE INFORMATION
The Tragedy Continues (Tehelka) http://www.tehelka.com/story_main53.asp?filename=Op140712SATINATH.asp
Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Endless nightmare (Times of India) http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-12-03/india/28061521_1_compensation-gas-affected-persons-bhopal-gas-tragedy
Bhopal Activists Slam U.S. Ruling (blog) http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/06/28/bhopal-activists-slam-u-s-ruling
Between the flames (The Hindu) http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3635160.ece
Signed. I remember!
Thx - it is absolutely unbelievable that all of this time has passed and Dow has yet to make restitution.
They are the worst of the worst. And they have been around a long time.
This is what copoRATions do in other countries - where they are not held accountable ( well hell they are hardly held accountable here at home ). Yes they pay off the government ( kind of like they do here at home ) but at least ( at the moment ) they have standards that they need to meet to operate safely in the USA ( well kinda - I mean Fracking(?) Sheesh ). But basically corpoRATions are allowed to run wild in foreign territories.
They are. you're right. And they ain't much better here.
Getting worse all over.
Dow? How was Dow involved?
Sounds like they inherited when they bought into it.
Bhopal disaster From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Page semi-protected
Coordinates: 23°16′51″N 77°24′38″E Bhopal memorial for those killed and disabled by the 1984 toxic gas release.
The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial disasters.[1] It occurred on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. A leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of people. The toxic substance made its way in and around the shantytowns located near the plant.[2] Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259 and the government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[3] Others estimate 8,000 died within two weeks and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas-related diseases.[4][5] A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries including 38,478 temporary partial and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.[6]
UCIL was the Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), with Indian Government controlled banks and the Indian public holding a 49.1 percent stake. In 1994, the Supreme Court of India allowed UCC to sell its 50.9 percent share. Union Carbide sold UCIL, the Bhopal plant operator, to Eveready Industries India Limited in 1994. The Bhopal plant was later sold to McLeod Russel (India) Ltd. Dow Chemical Company purchased UCC in 2001.
They arent liable. No way they bought Union Carbide without knowing that their risk. Its been 30 years. Its over.
Tell it to the courts.
Dow Chemical: Liable for Bhopal? - Businessweek
Signed.
Corporations are destroying the world, like a cancer.
Thx Nevada1 - corpoRATions are not above the law it is time and long past time that they were put in their place.
is any Indian people here? what is going on? How the petition can help injured families if such effort doesnt comes from Indian side? more likely it will bring some diplomatic tensions between US-India... you guys do whatever you wanted to do. im being overthinking too much, going to sleep.
The petition is by the international group avaaz.
A resolution was reached, but the injured parties weren't stakeholders in it, and the Indian govt. took the money and ran. Officially case closed.
Worse industrial accident on earth.
Apparently case still open. And Dow needs to do right by those people.
"The judge in the US granted UCC's forum request, thus moving the case to India. This meant that, under US federal law, the company had to submit to Indian jurisdiction. Litigation continued in India during 1988. The Government of India claimed US$ 350 million from UCC. The Indian Supreme Court told both sides to come to an agreement and "start with a clean slate" in November 1988. Eventually, in an out-of-court settlement reached in 1989, Union Carbide agreed to pay US$ 470 million for damages caused in the Bhopal disaster, 15% of the original $3 billion claimed in the lawsuit. By the end of October 2003, according to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, compensation had been awarded to 554,895 people for injuries received and 15,310 survivors of those killed. The average amount to families of the dead was $2,200."
I had read the transcripts of the entire investigation up to that point.
It appears that there are criminal and civil cases against employees of UCC right now.
Like I say - I do not have the whole scoop - but it appears that there is still significant action taking place.
I agree.
I hope Dow gets slapped and slapped very hard indeed. CorpoRATions have got to be put in their place.
tweet. {:-])
I remember this.
Union Carbide told the workers to front for work, or be dismissed. Most of them had been blinded permanently by the explosion.
It was about that time that I started looking into the crimes of the few against the many.
This is what corpoRATions are allowed to get away with in foreign countries. This is why they outsource. What they payoff foreign governments is still a savings from the requirements they would have to meet here in the USA.
what about USA? if nobody know anything it doesnt mean that leakage didnt happened here! Why is so many cancer contaminated people living in US? 104 nuclear power plants, dont forget this
Things are going out of control in the USA - fracking, coal mining, oil drilling - stuff that is put into our food or is fed to our livestock.
Nuclear Power plants? Probably the least of our worries right now.