Madhya Pradesh: Majority of buildings and projects for Bopal gas victims gather dust

The 1984 gas leak in the Union Carbide plant has claimed 5,400 lives so farSince the gas disaster of 1984 that has so far claimed 5,400 lives, Bhopal has virtually become a city of tombs. More than 250 buildings were constructed - at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore - in the wake of the tragedy to provide relief and rehabilitation to the gas victims.While many of these buildings lie in disuse today, a majority of them are being used for other purposes. Some, like the Rs 6.5 crore Indira Gandhi Hospital for women and children, have remained non-starters. Others, like the Rs 21.5 crore Kamla Nehru Hospital for children, are still under construction even after 11 years. It's not as if these projects are stalled due to lack of funds. So far, the gas victims have received over Rs 1,000 crore as compensation from the funds provided by the Union Carbide Corporation in an out-of-court settlement. For its part, the Central Government has spent about Rs 400 crore on relief and rehabilitation.Last year, Madhya Pradesh received more than Rs 65 crore from the Centre as relief for the victims. "The closure of buildings meant for medical and economic rehabilitation of gas victims demonstrates the Government's apathy at its worst," says Abdul Jabbar Khan, convener of an action group fighting for the cause of gas victims.Ailing hospitalAiling hospitalThe Rs 21.5 crore Kamla Nehru Hospital for children has been under construction for the past 11 yearsSubsidised wasteWorksheds provided to gas victims are being used for other purposes, like this health clubProxy reliefA building in the special industrial area for gas victims now houses the Bhopal headquarters of the RAFAt the official level, however, there was undue interest in the large-scale construction of buildings and purchase of equipment worth crores of rupees."The reason is understandable," says Khan, "they were all after commissions." The same interest was not shown in maintaining these buildings or pursuing the various schemes for rehabilitation of victims.The state Government, of course, denies the charge. Says a spokesman of the Gas Relief Department: "The Government has not been able to use some of the buildings because of financial constraints."Ironically, the department's establishment cost is around Rs 4 crore.As things stand, the Government has constructed buildings but it has no funds to start activities in them. The 150-bed, six-storey Indira Gandhi Hospital, for example, was finally constructed in 1995. Staff was recruited only last year..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Now it has no money to buy the equipment to start the hospital. Worse, the Government has to spend Rs 29,000 per month on security and Re 1 lakh to foot electricity bills of a hospital that remains unused.Clearly, the emphasis is on purchases and construction. Equipment worth Rs 3.5 crore was procured to start a pulmonary medicine centre at Jehangirabad. The centre began "functioning" in 1994 but the costly equipment lies mostly unused because the Government has not been able to hire qualified staff.The same is the case with the 2,486 houses constructed for gas victims at a cost of Rs 30 crore. About 200 remain unoccupied because the allottees are not satisfied with the quality of construction.The Government had constructed 42 worksheds at a cost of Rs 2 crore to provide employment and train gas victims in various skills. More than 30 now remain either closed or are being used for other purposes.About 10, allotted to NGOs, are functioning, employing a limited number of people. Some, like the one off Hamidia Road, were allotted to a health club, but have been turned into virtual cattle sheds. The Government had constructed seven sector offices in 1985-86 to deal with the gas victims' cases. All of them, built with relief funds, have been closed since 1994 and the buildings are being used for other purposes.For instance, the one at Kainchi Chola houses a police outpost. Some of the closed sector offices have been occupied by unauthorised persons. And the one at Rajendra Nagar has been forcibly occupied by some policemen for residential purposes.In 1990, the Government had constructed a special industrial area with much fanfare. The 152 sheds there, built at a cost of Rs 8 crore, were supposed to provide jobs to 10,000 gas victims. Most of them have not started functioning even after eight years.While some of them closed down, others either employ outsiders or have just put up a signboard to avoid legal hassles, defeating the very purpose of allotting these sheds at highly subsidised rates. Two of the buildings now house the Bhopal headquarters of the Rapid Action Force.MUTE REMINDERSIndira Gandhi Hospital: Meant for women and children, it was built at a cost of Rs 6.5 crore. Remains unused for lack of equipment.Pulmonary Medicine Centre: Started in 1994, Rs 3.5 crore worth of equipment gather dust for lack of qualified staff.Special Industrial Area: Most of the 152 sheds, built at a cost of Rs 8 crore, remain unused today.New ITI: Part of the Rs 8 crore complex taken over by the old ITIThe authorities also built a massive, five-storey building for a new Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at a cost of Rs 8 crore to create employment opportunities for the gas victims.The building was completed in 1995. Till date, it remains mostly unused. Part of it is being used to house an old ITI, already functioning from a neighbouring campus.With the Government showing the way, other agencies were quick to catch on. Four years ago, the sale of shares and assets of the UCC had brought in about Rs 290 crore, which, under the directives of the Supreme Court, UCC used to set up a trust.With the interest accrued, that sum has now swelled to Rs 400 crore. The Bhopal Hospital Trust was headed by Ian Percival, former Solicitor-General of India. In just two years, the trust had run up administrative expenses amounting to Rs 4.8 crore. In 1995, Percival charged Rs 1.7 crore as "fee" while he upped it to Rs 1.9 crore the next year even as he spent Rs 36 lakh and Rs 33 lakh for these two years as "professional charges".Percival died in April this year and his son Robert Percival, a lawyer, now heads the trust. The Government has also stepped in with a second trust headed by A.M. Ahmadi, former Chief Justice, to oversee the functioning of the new hospital.The tragedy of Bhopal is that the huge funds that poured in in the wake of the gas disaster is being siphoned off by the very officials who are supposed to provide relief and rehabilitation and safeguard the interests of the gas victims.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Sep 21, 1998--- ENDS ---

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Madhya Pradesh: Majority of buildings and projects for Bopal gas victims gather dust

Crores of rupees have been spent on buildings and projects for the gas victims of Bhopal, but a majority of them simply gather dust.

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