he Supreme Court has ticked-off various state authorities for their casual approach in dealing with complaints of groundwater contamination in and around Bhopal's Union Carbide factory as a consequence of the world's biggest industrial disaster in December 1984. A bench of justices Altamas Kabir and J Chelameshwar made the observation while refusing to entertain a plea of Lucknow-based Indian Institute of Toxic Research, IITR, to grant it three months time from the date of the beginning of collection of water samples to file its report. The court directed IITR to collect the samples from the place and submit a report to it before September the 26th.

n a setback to 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims, a US court has held that neither Union Carbide nor its former chairman Warren Anderson were liable for environmental remediation or pollution-related claims at the firm's former chemical plant in Bhopal.

US District Judge John Keena in Manhattan dismissed a lawsuit accusing the company of causing soil and water
pollution around the Bhopal plant due to the disaster, and ruled that Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and Anderson were not liable for remediation or pollution-related claims.

The court ruled that it was Union Carbide India Ltd, and not its parent company UCC that was responsible for the
generation and disposal of the waste that polluted drinking water, and the liability rests with the state government.

Plaintiffs Janki Bai Sahu and others had alleged that toxic substances seeped into a ground aquifer, polluting the soil and drinking water supply in residential communities surrounding the former Bhopal Plant site.

They alleged that exposure to soil and drinking water polluted by hazardous waste produced Union Carbine India Ltd caused injuries.

The court said in its order that the summary judgement record certainly indicates that UCIL consulted with UCC about its waste disposal plans and on non-environmental business matter like its strategic plan.

However, nothing in the evidence suggests the necessity of UCC's approval for the actions about which plaintiffs complain.

The worst industrial accident in Indian history led to the leak of poisonous methyl isocyanate, claiming thousands of lives in the Madhya Pradesh capital.

A Group of Ministers (GoM) today gave its approval to Madhya Pradesh government to dispose of 350 metric tonnes of Union Carbide toxic waste in Germany.

As per the decision, the Centre will pay 25 crore rupees towards the cost of airlifting the waste which will be removed within a year.

Madhya Pradesh Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Babulal Gaur said that the GoM under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has asked the state government to prepare an agreement within two weeks' time. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Mr Gaur said the waste will be disposed of in Germany. He said the whole procedure of removing the waste will be completed within a year .

About 346 MT toxic waste is lying within the premises of the erstwhile M/s Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) at Bhopal.

he Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram has asserted that the security situation in the country has significantly improved. Speaking to reporters in Bhopal today he said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has changed for better with the level of violence coming down considerably. He added that centre is holding talks with every group including ULFA in North-east. Mr. Chidambaram said that significant achievements have been made in different sectors of economy during the last three years of UPA-regime.

Mr. Chidambaram said, a Group of ministers is meeting later this week to take a decision on a proposal of a German firm which has come forward to airlift the waste from Bhopal to that country for its safe disposal. He reiterated that all possible steps are being taken to dispose off this toxic waste.