WASHINGTON: On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal chemical disaster, three Senators have introduced a resolution to designate December 3 as National Chemical Disaster Awareness Day.
Introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden and Peter Welch, the resolution recognises the 40-year effort of the survivors of the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster in India to ensure that no other community around the world suffers another such catastrophe by designating December 3 as National Chemical Disaster Awareness Day.
On December 3, 1984, a Union Carbide pesticide factory released a dense cloud of toxic methyl isocyanate gas into Bhopal, killing 8,000 people within 72 hours and permanently injuring 5,00,000 more in what is considered to be the world's worst industrial disaster.
Applauding the resilience of the Bhopal chemical disaster survivors in battling to overcome ill health, poverty, and marginalization to try to establish a deterrent against future chemical disasters; the resolution calls on the Department of Justice to take timely steps in response to requests by the Indian Government concerning Dow Inc., who purchased the Union Carbide facility where the disaster took place.
The resolution also calls for any other actions necessary for the United States to comply with obligations under the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, signed at New Delhi on October 17, 2001 (TIAS 05 1003).
It seeks to engage with the survivors of the Bhopal chemical disaster to strengthen the public's understanding of the dangers of chemical disasters; and emphasises that supporting human rights and protecting the right to freedom from discrimination are and should remain key pillars of United States foreign policy worldwide.
The resolution notes that Union Carbide and its representatives have ignored repeated summonses to appear in court in India, and applications under 2 extradition treaties between India and the United States dating back to 1942 have failed to secure their appearance.
Dow Inc., the owner of Union Carbide since 2001, has not compelled its subsidiary to attend any proceedings relating to the Bhopal disaster; it said.