New Delhi: The site of one of the world’s worst industrial tragedies—the abandoned Union Carbide plant in Bhopal—may finally be converted into a memorial named Neelkanth Alok.
“We have proposed a plan for a memorial to the chief minister and are waiting for a final nod from the Madhya Pradesh government,” Shriram Tiwari, cultural advisor to CM Mohan Yadav, told ThePrint. He is also the director of the Ujjain Maharaja Vikramaditya Research Institute.
Tiwari said the name of the memorial, Neelkanth Alok, is rooted in Indian traditions. Lord Shiva consumed vish (poison) to save the world.
“Bhopal ne bhi Jahar piya (Bhopal too consumed poison). But the state has now become one of the developed and strong capitals in India,” said Tiwari.
In December 1984, the tragedy occurred when toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant in Bhopal, which took thousands of lives. The demand for a memorial is as old as the tragedy.
In 1987, demands for a memorial were raised in the state assembly. A decade later, in 1996, it was suggested that the memorial be located in the Union Carbide premises. In 2004, the state government announced bidding for the memorial.
But this time, the Madhya Pradesh government is reviving long-pending plans to turn the Union Carbide site into a grand memorial—with a distinct religious framing. The proposal seeks to blend remembrance with symbolism drawn from Lord Shiva, while also positioning the site as a national and global destination akin to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a fresh attempt to memorialise one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.
“In our proposal, we suggested the name Neelkanth Alok, the abode of Lord Shiva. Everyone in the state wants the memorial,” said Tiwari.
What’s in a proposal
In the proposal to the state government, Tiwari has outlined a plan for redeveloping the 87-acre site.
The memorial site will include the trees associated with Lord Shiva, such as Rudraksha and Bael. It will also feature Raja Bhoj and Vikramaditya. “We took inspiration from these figures who gave glory to the state in the past,” he said.
“Our aim is to attract visitors across India to come and experience this memorial and know the extent of that tragedy,” said an official at the gas relief and rehabilitation department.
The current proposal envisages a plan to draw in visitors and tourists to the memorial. In 2009, too, the state government had announced that it would allow visitors to tour the proposed memorial at the now-abandoned site. The survivors of the incident have long wanted control over the content and design.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Delhi is closely monitoring this project. In February, Mohan Yadav met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him about the memorial project.
In a government statement after the meeting, Yadav said a comprehensive plan has been prepared to build a memorial, a Science Park, a Convention Centre, a modern laboratory dedicated to national security and a national research centre focused on development.
“The government will consult all sections of society and affected stakeholders and proceed with the development of the Union Carbide Factory campus. Under the guidance of the high court, a memorial will be built in the now-clean premises in memory of those who lost their lives in the Bhopal gas tragedy,” Yadav had said in January.
The official at the gas relief and rehabilitation department said the memorial will cost hundreds of crores.
The official said the idea took shape just after Mohan Yadav became chief minister. He said the plan was sped up with the shifting of 348 metric tonnes of toxic waste from the UCIL plant to the Indore industrial area.
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A fresh start
The state government had decided to build a memorial for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims at the site of Union Carbide in 2005, two decades after the tragedy. But it never materialised.
A Delhi-based architecture firm, SpaceMatters, was awarded a $25 million (upwards of Rs 2,34,00,00,000) bid for a grand memorial complex.
The firm’s design addresses the challenges of a toxic site and painful memory through a conservationist and in-situ approach.
“We imagine the site to become a space for commemoration and learning, a memorial and public park with research and cultural facilities. About a third of the site is earmarked for neighbourhood amenities—reclaimed for the affected community’s use as a public space, school-cum-youth centre, training halls and community halls,” reads the firm’s website.
“With each change in leadership, new ideas have emerged. Our job is to listen to all stakeholders. This site has to convey the aspirations of many groups. It has been a political project since the very beginning,” said Moulshri Joshi, founder of SpaceMatters.
However, Tiwari said the current proposal has been made from scratch.
In 2009, the then Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh visited the Bhopal site and picked up toxic waste in the premises and said it was time to move on. His move was criticised by the survivors of the incident.
Under the Mohan Yadav government, toxic waste has been shifted to Indore. Tiwari said he is the first chief minister to visit the site without a mask and helmet.
“He shows courage and this time a memorial will be built. We haven’t decided yet who will build this but soon it will be finalised,” he said.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)