FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 170 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 3, 2024 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Bumrah will go down as one of the greatest pacers: Head P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN WORLD PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema Vikrant Massey quits acting? P.14 BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY | 40 years on, responsibility for one of the biggest industrial disasters of the world is yet to be fixed; none sent to jail WHODUNNIT BASIC AMENITIES STILL MISSING Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Forty years have passed since the Bhopal gas tragedy occurred, but responsibility for one of the biggest industrial disasters in the world is yet to be fixed. The government generally takes credit for acting on trivial issues. The Congress and the BJP have ruled the country and the state in the past 40 years, but none of those responsible for such a disaster that claimed thousands of human lives has been sent to jail. A court of chief judicial magistrate awarded two-year jail term to seven persons – Keshub Mahindra, V P Gokhale, Kishore Kamdar, J Mukund, S P Chowdhury, K V Shetty, and S I Qureshi, -- under section 304A in 2010. But the section, under which the punishment was awarded, provides jail term only for two years. Immediately, all the sevengot bail from the district court. The case has been lying with the court for 14 years. Nevertheless, only three of the seven culprits, are alive. Four have passed away. The MIDNIGHT HORROR Thousands of crores of rupees have been spent in the name of gas victims. But the government has failed to provide basic facilities, like education, medicines, homes and potable water to them. The hospital set up for the gas victims does not have doctors. The Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre is on the verge of closure due to shortage of doctors and other staff. It does not matter which political party runs a government, but none has a concrete plan for the sufferers. owner of Union Carbide Warren Anderson came to Bhopal only once after the tragedy. The then SP of the city Swaraj Puri sent him back by the state hanger. Afterwards, Anderson never came to Bhopal during the hearing of the case. He, too, passed away. The office-bearers of the organisations, working for the welfare of gas victims, say the sufferers, despite fight- ing a long legal battle, are yet to get justice. The culprits were not sent to jail. Nor did the victims get enough compensation. They have been deprived of potable water and the treatment for the diseases they are suffering from, because of the tragedy. The responsibility for disaster that harmed the citizens mentally and physically, generations after generations, is yet to be fixed. E-paper Edit AAP’s solo run a blow to INDIA P.8 25 killed in airstrikes targeting Syrian rebels Despite long legal battle, victims await justice, compensation MUMBAI Diabetes incidence five times higher among victims Our Staff Reporter Karnataka IPS officer dies in road accident PTI HASSAN (KARNATAKA) A 26-year-old IPS officer on his way to take up his first posting died in a road accident in Hassan district, police said on Monday. Harsh Bardhan was a 2023batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre and hailed from Madhya Pradesh, they said. BHOPAL The number of diabetes patients among gas tragedy victims is five times higher than found among normal people. Similarly, number of menopause case is 2.6 times higher among gas tragedy-hit women, a study conducted by Sambhavana Trust Clinic, revealed. On the eve of the 40th anniversary of Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, members of the Trust presented an analysis of clinical data of 16,305 gas-exposed and 8,106 unexposed paCLINICAL ANALYSIS tients who received care at the Clinic in the last 16 years. The data highlights the need for continued medical research and sustained healthcare services for survivors of the disaster. Physician Dr Usha Arya said, ‘Rates of diseases known to disproportionately affect gas-exposed populations, such as respiratory illnesses and mental health disorders remained significantly higher throughout the last 16 years. Both obstructive and restrictive types of respiratory diseases were 1.7 to 2 times higher in the gas-exposed group compared to unexposed population’. 4Continued on | P6 The disaster was caused by accidental release of methyl isocyanate gas from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide India Limited, a subsidiary of US-based Union Carbide Corporation, killing thousands The accident took place on Sunday evening, when the tyre of the police vehicle he was travelling in allegedly burst near Kittane in Hassan taluk, following which the driver lost control and the vehicle hit a house and a tree on the roadside, police said. Soon after getting the news of the accident, Akhilesh Singh, who is posted as Sub Divisional Magistrate in Madhya Pradesh, rushed to Karnataka to collect the remains of his son. The last rites will be performed in Saharsa, the home district of the officer in Bihar. 4Continued on | P6 Ratapani Sanctuary becomes state’s eighth tiger reserve Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The state government on Monday issued a notification to declare Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve. It is the eighth tiger reserve of the state. It was long ago that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had given in principle approval to grant tiger reserve status to Ratapani Sanctuary. The total area of the tiger reserve will be 1,271.465 square kilometres, including 763.812 sq kms core area and 507.653 sq kms buffer area. This development came close on the heels of the NTCA giving in principle approval to the proposal of tiger reserve status to Shivpuri’s Madhav National Park. Interacting with Free Press, additional principal chief conservator of forest, wildlife, L Krishnamurthy, said a notification has been issued to declare Ratapani Sanctuary as a tiger reserve. As far as Madhav National Park getting in principle approval from the NTCA is concerned then on issuance of the notification, it will be the ninth tiger reserve of the state. Ratapani Sanctuary has rich wildlife. It has over 60 tigers apart from other wild animals. The tiger reserve status to the sanctuary will not only strengthen the tiger conservation work but also accelerate eco-tourism activities and provide employment to locals. 4Continued on | P6