Meeting for the second day in a row, the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Bhopal gas tragedy today discussed legal options available in the aftermath of the trial court judgement and reached “some tentative conclusions“.
“We discussed all pending legal issues and legal options available to the government after the judgement of trial court,” said Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who heads to the reconstituted GoM, after its meeting here.
“We heard all concerned and reached some tentative conclusions,” he told reporters but did not give details.
He said “these conclusions” will be firmed up in the report to be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.
The nine-member GoM was reconstituted on June 7 amid raging controversy over the quantum of punishment given to those accused in the case, with the political class in unison terming it as “too little, too late“.
It began its meeting on Friday.
Among various issues, the GoM is considering increase in compensation for those affected by the 1984 disaster.
The Planning Commission has already approved a package of Rs 982 crore for the gas disaster victims.
Chidambaram said the GoM, at the next meeting this evening, will discuss issues relating to health and how to bring healthcare to people who have suffered and “perhaps continue to suffer“.
Issues related to drinking water will also be discussed.
The Prime Minister has directed the GoM to expedite its work and asked it on June 14 to submit report within 10 days.
Showing posts with label GoM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GoM. Show all posts
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
PM gives Bhopal GoM 10 days to file report
Amidst growing outrage over last week’s verdict on the Bhopal gas tragedy, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, stepped in on Monday and directed the group of ministers (GoM) headed by the Union home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, to report to the Union Cabinet within 10 days after assessing the “options and remedies available”.
Contrary to what has been reported so far — that the GoM under Mr Chidambaram was reconstituted following the trial court’s order in the gas leak case last week — the GoM was set up on May 26 while the Bhopal court order came on June 7. Therefore, its reconstitution had nothing to do with the Bhopal court’s verdict, said sources.Moreover, for all the chest-beating on the part of the BJP for the gas victims, it has now come to light that a BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government had rejected in 2008-09, a proposal to set up an empowered commission to look after the interests of those affected by the 1984 gas leak.
Sources told this newspaper that the proposal to set up such a commission had been made by the previous GoM headed by the senior Congress leader, Mr Arjun Singh since 2004. At present, Mr Singh himself is being slammed for his role in allowing the former Union Carbide Corporation chief, Mr Warren Anderson, to escape.
With the proposal for the empowered commission not passing muster with the BJP-led state government, the Centre was unable to push ahead with it, said sources. The Centre was chary of being accused of disturbing the federal structure if it went ahead with the commission without the state government’s concurrence.
“Not everybody agreed on the commission and, in particular, the then state government did not support it,” said sources. The state government reportedly took the plea that it would take care of the issues and thus no commission was needed.
Contrary to what has been reported so far — that the GoM under Mr Chidambaram was reconstituted following the trial court’s order in the gas leak case last week — the GoM was set up on May 26 while the Bhopal court order came on June 7. Therefore, its reconstitution had nothing to do with the Bhopal court’s verdict, said sources.Moreover, for all the chest-beating on the part of the BJP for the gas victims, it has now come to light that a BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government had rejected in 2008-09, a proposal to set up an empowered commission to look after the interests of those affected by the 1984 gas leak.
Sources told this newspaper that the proposal to set up such a commission had been made by the previous GoM headed by the senior Congress leader, Mr Arjun Singh since 2004. At present, Mr Singh himself is being slammed for his role in allowing the former Union Carbide Corporation chief, Mr Warren Anderson, to escape.
With the proposal for the empowered commission not passing muster with the BJP-led state government, the Centre was unable to push ahead with it, said sources. The Centre was chary of being accused of disturbing the federal structure if it went ahead with the commission without the state government’s concurrence.
“Not everybody agreed on the commission and, in particular, the then state government did not support it,” said sources. The state government reportedly took the plea that it would take care of the issues and thus no commission was needed.
