Study launched ucc launches a disaster program to study the effects of overexposure to mic. A cloud of gas sweeps over the chemical valley region in west virginia. The escape of about 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate mic a highly toxic chemical from a storage tank on the premises of the pesticide plant of union carbide india limited ucil in. Bhopal act 1985 judgment on the bhopal gas disaster. Union carbide corporations ucc response efforts to the. The plant closedaftertheaccident,andunion carbidebecamea subsidy of dow chemical in 1999. Over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate mic gas. Amendment to factories act in response to the bhopal disaster and its consequences, and influenced by the creation of absolute liability principle in oleum gas leak case, questions of safety and liability were addressed. Fourteen years after it described the bhopal gas leak disaster as an act of negligence,the supreme court today agreed to reopen its september 1996 judgment.
More than 30 years have passed since the dreadful night of december 3 rd 1984 when a gas leak killed thousands of people and permanently disabled the survivors. In the days after the gas leak, anderson was arrested and then released on bail by the madhya pradesh police on december 7, 1984. Bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, 1985 volume 25 issue 4. The indian government passed the bhopal gas leak act in march 1985, allowing the. The methyl isocyanate operating manual directs workers unable to contain a leak in a storage tank to dump some of the escaping gas into a 15,000. Giventhemagnitudeofthetragedy,itisnotsurprising that the bhopal disaster has continued to draw the attention of media, scholars, and activists throughout the world. Bhopal gas tragedy a social, economic, legal and environmental analysis introduction the industrial catastrophe that occurred on the midnight of december 2, 1984 at union carbide india limited pesticide plant in bhopal, india was the worst industrial accident in the world. The bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, 1985.
Health effects of the bhopal me thyl isocyanate gas leak exposure 8, 3032. The bhopal disaster, also referred to as the bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the. It happened at a union carbide subsidiary pesticide plant in the city of bhopal, india. The bhopal disaster, also referred to as the bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 23 december 1984 at the union carbide india limited ucil pesticide plant in bhopal, madhya pradesh, india.
Disaster processing of claims act, 1985 which empowered the union of. The goi enacted the bhopal gas leak disaster act in march 1985, enabling the goi to act as the sole legal representative of the victims in claims arising from or related to the bhopal disaster. This act may be called the bhopal gas leak disaster. In the court of bhopal, dated 7th june 2010 final judgement on bhopal gas disaster delivered 25 years, after the tragedy by bhopal district court. The act made the government the sole representative of the victims in legal proceedings both within and outside india. The bhopal disaster or bhopal gas tragedy was an industrial accident.
In march 1985, through the passage of the bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, the government of indian goi arrogated to itself the sole power to represent the victims of the disaster in civil litigation against union carbide. Chapter 3 examines the accountability of ucc for the bhopal disaster. The effects of the tragedy have lasted decades, accounting for over 20,000 deaths and half a million injured. An act to confer certain powers on the central government to secure that claims arising out of, or connected with, the bhopal gas leak disaster are dealt with speedily, effectively. Be in enacted by parliament in the fortythird year of the republic of indias as follows. The underground tank of methyl isocyanine mic at the union carbide factory in bhopal explodes and release of 40 tons of deadly toxic gas. Bhopal, india, deadly gas leak haunts survivors 30 years. Bhopal act 1985 india environment portal news, reports. The bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, 1985 act no.
As an intermediate step to the production of these pesticides, the facility stored a large quantity of mic on site, although it was not. An act to confer certain powers on the central government to secure that claims arising out of, or connected with, the bhopal gas leak disaster are dealt with speedily, effectively, equitably and to the best advantage of the claimants and for matters. Statement on the 33rd anniversarof the bhopal gas leak disaster 03. An american company avoids accountability for its role in an accident at a pesticide plant in bhopal, india. The indian government passed the bhopal gas leak act in march 1985, allowing the government of india to act as the legal representative for victims of the disaster, leading to the beginning of legal proceedings. Indian parliament adopts companies act of 1956 which requires affiliates of foreign companies to. In the meantime, on march 29, 1985, india enacted the bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, granting to its government, the uoi, the exclusive right to represent the victims in india or elsewhere. The act made the government the sole representative of the victims in legal. Amendment in bhopal gas leak disaster registration and processing of claims scheme, 1985, download 66. The bhopal disaster of 1984 indiaenvironmentportal. The leak reaction of mic with water generates heat far above its boiling point. Around half a million people were exposed to toxic fumes in the central indian city of bhopal on the night of december 2 to 3, 1984. In march 1985, the indian government enacted the bhopal gas leak disaster act as a. This paper can be downloaded in pdf format from ielrcs website at.
Definitions in this act, unless the context otherwise requires, a bhopal gas leak disaster or disaster means the occurrence on the 2nd and 3rd. Literary and economic impact of the bhopal gas tragedy. Rules regulations notifications orders circulars statutory ordinance statutes. It is considered to be the worlds worst industrial disaster.
It may have caused some industrial safety procedures to improve, but the survivors of the tragic bhopal gas disaster are still fighting for compensationthe bhopal gas leak is one of the worst industrial disasters in history. Bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, 1985. The bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, 1985 no. Since the disaster, india has experienced rapid industrialization.
Raj kumar keswani, bhopal tragedy, indian express, december 6, 1 and 8, 1985. March, 1985 bhopal gas leak act government of india goi enacts the bhopal gas leak disaster act that enables the goi to act as the legal representative of the victims in claims arising of or related to the bhopal disaster. The bhopal disaster, also referred to as the bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident in india, considered the worlds worst industrial disaster. A glance at this list reveals that this tragedy has evoked interest from a variety of people all over the worldenvironmentalists, regulators, government officials, academicians, and fictional authors. The bhopal gas tragedy commonly referred to as bhopal disaster was a gas leak incident in india, considered one of the worlds worst industrial catastrophes. Government had been warned indian express, december 1984. Section 5 in the bhopal gas leak disaster processing of. We, the then mayor and chief of police of bhopal, were the two people on whom the responsibility of handling the worlds worst industrial disaster fell unceremoniously on the cold night of december 23, 1984 when 41 tons of mic gas was released from the union carbide plant in bhopal. Almost every strand of litigation concerning the event has been a disaster for the victim. The bhopal gas leak disaster is still fresh in the minds of all those who survived and inherited the suffering from their predecessors. Between 1984 and 2004, thirtyfive books based on the bhopal gas tragedy have been published. Bhopal disaster simple english wikipedia, the free. Later, as the deadly cloud slowly drifted in the cool night air through streets in surrounding sections, sleeping residents awoke, coughing, choking, and rubbing painfully stinging eyes. Bhopal could well symbolise the failure of the legal system in general and the failure of the system to respond to the disaster in particular.
Bhopal gas tragedy worlds worst industrial disaster. On december 3 1984, methyl isocyanate or mic, an extremely toxic gas, started leaking. Bhopal gas tragedy and investigation complete report. The bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims amendment act, 1992 no. In part to stem these unscrupulous practices, and in part to expedite the legal process, india passed the bhopal gas leak disaster. An act to confer certain powers on the central government to secure that claims arising out of, or connected with, the bhopal gas leak disaster are dealt with speedily, effectively, equitably and to the best advantage of the claimants and for matters incidental thereto. By the time the gas cleared at dawn, many were dead or injured. Section 5 in the bhopal gas leak disaster processing of claims act, 1985. On the night of 23 december 1984, the plant released approximately 40 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate mic gas, exposing more than 500,000 people to toxic gases.
During the cleaning operation in the night of december 2, 1984, a small quantity of water went through the pipe into the mic tank 610. Pdf of the full report is available online at fact finding mission on bhopal. Initial lawsuits were generated in the united states federal court system. Bhopal gas tragedy case study development of absolute. Bhopal gas leak disaster 27 36gas affected municipal wards of bhopal to identify the victims and to collate necessary data. It occurred on the night of 23 december 1984 at the union carbide india limited ucil pesticide plant in bhopal, madhya pradesh. In march 1985, the indian government enacted the bhopal gas leak disaster act as a way of ensuring that claims arising from the accident would be dealt with speedily and equitably. The bhopal gas leak disasterprocessing of claims act, 1985. The ucil facility in bhopal, india was a manufacturing facility for carbamate pesticides that had a design similar to the plant in institute, west virginia, and it had been manufacturing mic on site since 1980. An act to confer certain powers on the central government to secure that claims arising out of, or connected with, the bhopal gas leak disaster are dealt with. It occurred on the night of 2nd3rd december 1984 at the union carbide india limited ucil pesticide plant in bhopal, madhya pradesh. The bhopal disaster of 1984 university of new mexico. Introduction the bhopal gas leak, india 1984 is the largest chemical industrial accident ever.