Allot Rs 500 cr for medical aid to gas victims: Chouhan to PM

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today made an appeal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare all the wards here as gas-affected and sanction Rs 500 crore to provide better medical facilities to the victims of the 1984 disaster.

In a letter to Singh, Chouhan said effect of the toxic leak cannot be restricted to geographical areas and hence the remaining 20 civic wards, out of total 56, should be declared as gas-hit, enabling all the victims to avail of benefits.

Those who lived outside the 36 wards when the tragedy occurred cannot lay claim to the compensation or facilities provided to gas victims.

The CM, who returned yesterday after touring Europe, said there were many disparities in the recommendations made by the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Bhopal and appealed for their removal.

Chouhan said the GoM has left the decision on cases of 10,047 victims to the Union Cabinet. These affected people should be given enhanced compensation.

He said the Planning Commission has approved state's demand for a Rs 500-crore corpus to provide quality medical assistance to the victims and the proposal now needs the PM's nod.