THE MP High Court has directed the State Government to submit by February 22 a report of chemical examination conducted by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) pertaining to the samples collected from the closed Union Carbide plant at Bhopal.
The MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) had filed a report before the court in January last saying the pesticides and metals including nickel, copper, zinc and manganese detected in soil samples of April 2005 are within prescribed limit as prescribed by the risk-based soil criteria.
About the groundwater samples of November 2005, the MPPCB report said it was found contaminated at some places with halogenated hydrocarbons (1,2,3 Trichlorobenzene), chlorides, fluorides and certain metals.
While hearing a public interest litigation seeking direction for removal of toxic waste from the factory’s site causing soil and groundwater pollution in adjoining areas, a division bench comprising Chief Justice A K Patnaik and Justice Dipak Misra granted few more weeks to the State Government to submit the report.
The Union Government’s Chemicals and Petrochemicals department deputy secretary has filed an affidavit containing a copy of minutes of the seventh meeting of the Task Force of January 9 that reviewed progress of toxic waste removal from the Union Carbide plant site.
{{/usCountry}}The Union Government’s Chemicals and Petrochemicals department deputy secretary has filed an affidavit containing a copy of minutes of the seventh meeting of the Task Force of January 9 that reviewed progress of toxic waste removal from the Union Carbide plant site.
{{/usCountry}}During discussion on the estimate of Rs 7.35 crore prepared by the MP Government for proposed task to clear toxic waste, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation Department Principal Secretary informed the Task Force about the IICT’s
recommendation that waste dumped in the factory’s shed was not toxic and need not to be shifted, to which the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and MPPCB showed disagreement, the department said.
The Bhopal Group of Information and Action has filed an application seeking the court’s permission to take on record the documents pertaining to the factory for years 1973 to 2004 include pollution surveys and others.