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PLEASE FWD: **
YOU CAN HELP STOP THE CONTINUING DISASTER IN BHOPAL!!!**
ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th survivors groups
from
Bhopal have asked for people ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th JUST A PHONE CALL FROM YOU CAN GIVE THE VICTIMS OF THE WORST INDUSTRIAL DISASTER A BETTER LIFE Please read on. THE WORLD'S WORST-EVER INDUSTRIAL DISASTER devastated the Indian city of Bhopal nearly 20 years ago, in 1984. More than half a million people were exposed to the deadly gas released from a Union Carbide factory there; of those, 20,000 have died and 150,000 were maimed. For the people of Bhopal the toxic legacy of Union Carbide is far from over. Thanks to Carbide's reckless dumping of chemical wastes, the drinking water supply for 20,000 Bhopal residents is dangerously contaminated with organochlorines, mercury, and other chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects. The breast milk of mothers in these communities is heavily contaminated. On average, gas victims in Bhopal received no more than $500 as compensation for lifelong injuries, while more than $300 million remains undistributed in the settlement fund. The exposed people have a legal right to receive this money, but any distribution requires the cooperation of the Indian government. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT TO DO: to call, write, or email the Indian Government to demand that it:
1. Call the Indian Embassy in Washington DC at (202) 939-7065 and ask to register your comments with the press department. 2. Call the Chicago Consul General's office directly at (312) 595-0412, and/or email the Consul General at [EMAIL PROTECTED]. 3.If you are a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Non-Resident Indian (NRI) call the office of the Ambassador-at-Large of PIOs and NRIs at (212) 478-7777 or email that office at [EMAIL PROTECTED]. Note: The Government of India is generally most responsive to Indian-Americans, so if you are an Indian-American, please identify yourself as such. IF YOU PARTICIPATE, please call 262-798-5439 or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] to confirm. THANK YOU! PLEASE FORWARD TO OTHERS BY TUES-FEBRUARY 24th! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ISSUES:According to the official records, although 99% of the claimants have been paid, there remains US $300 million in the settlement fund. So much money remains because many claimants have not received their full compensation, and because the interest on the settlement fund--some $84 million over 15 years--has never been paid to the victims. A survey carried out by the Sambhavna Trust shows that in Jaiprakash Nagar, the community right across Union Carbide's factory, 91% people received only $500 as compensation and an average interest amount of about $550 had not been paid to the claimants. Though people in Bhopal had been drinking water contaminated by Union Carbide for more than 10 years, it was only in September of 2000 that they were able to force the state government to supply safe water in tankers. However, water supply through tankers is inadequate, irregular and interrupted for the four months of monsoon rain. Construction on ten overhead tanks has been completed, but government officials have not bothered to install the lines so that people can have access to this piped water supply. The survivors of the Bhopal disaster have identified both of these goals as priorities for the upcoming year, and they've asked for the support of people in the United States because the Indian Government has been particularly responsive to such pressure in the past. On February 24th, please take a few moments of your time to call the Indian embassy AND consulates (listed below) and urge them to take action for the people of Bhopal. For more information about the disaster or the campaign, please visit www.studentsforbhopal.org and www.bhopal.net . |
