Gas victims declare 5-day e-mail `war' on Carbide

bhopal: survivors and sufferers of the cataclysmic 1984 bhopal gas tragedy on monday virtually bombarded the offices of union carbide international and dow chemicals with e-mail on their sad plight even 16 years after the event. the over 2,000-message "attack'''' went hurtling through cyberspace with a click of the mouse from four-year-old noor jehan who was born with a respiratory disorder inherited from mother shamshad, a victim of the tragedy.a kiosk had been set up in the vicinity of the carbide factory at atal ayub nagar where ``off-line'''' petitions were collected from the victims. these were later converted into online messages with the help of especially designed software before being fired off. media coordinator of world environment watchdog greenpeace, which sponsored the cyber event, shailendra yashwant, told the times of india news service that the e-mail shootout was intended to let dow chemicals know the sizable ``liability'''' it would be inheriting following carbide''s merger with the latter. the 1989 monetary settlement with carbide had not contemplated the damage to lives caused by the contamination at the site of the carbide factory. toxic waste comprising over 4,000 chemicals, said yashwant, was still rotting inside the factory premesis. which in turn had affected the quality of ground water reserves in 10 to 14 localities around the area -- a finding repeatedly confirmed by a clutch of reports, at least two of which were commissioned by the state government. yashwant said the e-mail "pounding'''' on carbide territory would continue for five days. and since the ``attack'''' was being coordinated from 40 countries, the post-merger dow management would come under unrelenting pressure to cough out the expense of the clean-up. this had been estimated at rs seven crore. meanwhile, the convener of the bhopal gas peedith mahila sangathan, abdul jabbar, and member, bhopal group for information and action, satinath sarangi, have complained to former chief justice of india a.m. ahmadi on the ``financial irregularities'''' in the construction of the 260-bed bhopal memorial hospital trust. in a joint letter dated august 7, jabbar and sarangi said nine years had elapsed since the apex court first ordered the construction of the hospital. more than rs 110 crore had already been spent against the original budget of rs 60 crore. ``cases pertaining to use of child labour and unauthorised withdrawal of funds lie pending against senior office-bearers of the trust.'''' allegations of nepotism and bribery in the appointment of staff had also been received, they said.