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[PR] AID Supports the 800 km March to Delhi undertaken by Survivors of the Bhopal Gas Disaster |
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Association for India's Development
Website: www.aidindia.org Phone: 1-888-TALK-2-AID
Media Contacts:
AID (US): Nirveek Bhattacharjee (410-627-7679),
Rajasekhar Jammalamadaka (301-717-1059)
ICJB (US): Diana Ruiz (415-999-9074),
Carolyn Oppenheim (413-584-9645),
Aquene Freechild (617-378-2579)
AID (India) – Nishant Jain (+91 9811764745)
March 16, 2006
AID Supports the 800 km March to Delhi undertaken by Survivors of the Bhopal Gas Disaster
The Association for India's Development appeals to the Non-Resident Indian Community to express solidarity for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy survivors, who are marching from Bhopal to Delhi in hope of complete justice and a life of dignity. The Gas tragedy in Bhopal, India on December 3rd 1984 is widely regarded as the worst industrial disaster and its survivors are still fighting for basic necessities like clean drinking water. The survivors started their march on February 20 and hope to meet the Prime Minister at the end of the march demanding the Government of India take action and put an end to the endless injustice meted out to them.
"Bhopal is yet another instance where the rights of the underprivileged have been compromised in India. Indians living all over the world must raise their voice for the Bhopalis so that their demands are heard loud and clear in New Delhi" said Sudarshan Suresh, an engineer and AID volunteer in California. The survivors of the tragedy are demanding that the Government of India take care of the following needs:
- Set up National Commission on Bhopal with the necessary authority and funds to provide facilities for health care, medical research, social support and economic rehabilitation of the people poisoned by Union Carbide/Dow Chemical and their children at least for next 30 years.
- Commit full funds for and agree to time-bound plan for delivery of piped Kolar reservoir water to communities affected by Union Carbide/Dow's contamination.
- Set up a Special Prosecution Cell in the Central Bureau of Investigation with representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs for speedy prosecution of Union Carbide Corporation, Warren Anderson and others accused in the criminal case of the December '84 gas disaster.
- Ensure scientific assessment of the depth and spread of toxic contamination in and around the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal and make Union Carbide's current owner, Dow Chemical Company, pay for the clean up of toxic contamination and compensation for the health and environmental damage caused due to reckless dumping of chemical wastes.
- Stop government purchase of Dursban and other Dow products and halt any expansion of Dow's business in India till it accepts the pending liabilities of Bhopal.
- Include representatives of survivors organizations in the creation of a memorial to the disaster, declare December 3 rd as a National Day of Mourning for Victims of Industrial Disasters and Pollution and ensure that the Bhopal disaster and its aftermath is included in school and college curricula..
AID Chapters in Austin, Baltimore, Bay Area, College Park, Houston, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland, Princeton, San Diego and Tempe are organizing movie screenings, talks, street-plays and photo exhibitions to raise awareness about the current state of affairs in Bhopal and are appealing to the communities in those areas to support the survivors' demands. "This campaign is not only about Bhopal. It is about every place in this world where corporate unaccountability and governmental apathy is wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of the disadvantaged. As concerned global citizens, it is our duty to take action and ensure that there are no more Bhopals”, says Nirveek Bhattacharjee, a doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and an AID volunteer.
Volunteers from different chapters of AID and the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) will converge in Washington DC, for a solidarity march in front of the Indian Embassy on March 24th.
About AID & the Bhopal Campaign:
AID has played a very vital role in supporting the Bhopal campaign in the United States. AID Jeevansaathi Rachna Dhingra is working in Bhopal for the welfare of the survivors. She is one of the marchers to Delhi. Her accounts of the march can be read at www.bhopal.net and http://bhopal.aidindia.org/blog
Association for India’s Development (AID) is a non-profit, volunteer, charitable 501(c)(3) organization that supports grassroots development work in India. The current financial statement of AID can be obtained by writing to AID for the cost of postage and copies. Documents and information about AID can be obtained from the Office of the Secretary.
“You must be the change you wish to see in this world” – M.K. Gandhi
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