Indore, Jan 8 (PTI) Residents of Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh have launched a postcard campaign opposing the proposed disposal of 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste in a local industrial unit, four days after protests rocked the town.
Sandeep Raghuvanshi, an activist from Pithampur, told PTI on Wednesday that one lakh postcards will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu, the Chief Justice of India, and the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court requesting their intervention to not allow the waste disposal.
“Postcards are being sent to these personalities holding important Constitutional posts, requesting them not to allow disposal of the Union Carbide factory waste in Pithampur as it is a major industrial area surrounded by a large human population,” he said.
The waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal was brought to a waste disposal unit run by a private company in Pithampur on January 2, triggering protests that rocked Pithampur.
The toxic chemical waste is supposed to be incinerated at a site in the industrial town, 250 km from Bhopal, but the move is facing stiff resistance from local residents.
The shifting of waste led to widespread protests in the industrial town and on Friday last, two men attempted self-immolation amid a bandh call given by the Pithampur Bachao Samiti.
The town, some 50 km from the district headquarters and a major industrial belt saw protests on Friday and Saturday, with residents carrying out sit-ins and a mob pelting stones at the gate of the unit where the waste is set to be disposed of.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court here on Monday directed the state government to take steps within six weeks for disposal of the hazardous waste as per safety protocols.
On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious injuries and long-lasting health issues. PTI HWP ADU NSK
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