Compensation of Rs 10 lakh each demanded for 15,342 Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government has demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each from the Centre's Group of Ministers (GOM) to the kin of 15,342 deceased in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy as per the revised death figures in the ICMR report.

A decision in this regard was taken in the quarterly review meeting of the Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department yesterday chaired by State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, official sources said today.

For this purpose, representatives of the gas victims will be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi soon.

"At present enhanced death compensation has been awarded to 5,295 deceased of the tragedy while we have demanded that it should be given to 15,342 persons who died so far because of the ill-effects of the poisnous gas leak as stated in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report," State Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Minister, Babulal Gaur told PTI.

Chouhan said the state government is backing demands of gas-affected people and is also making efforts for their rights.

The meeting was also informed that a new action plan worth Rs 272.75 crore has been sanctioned by the Union Government.

During next three years, Rs 33.55 crore for medical rehabilitation, Rs 104 crore for economic rehabilitation, Rs 85.20 crore for social rehabilitation and Rs 50 crore will be made available for drinking water arrangements in the gas-affected areas, they said.