GoM may look into enhancing relief

NEW DELHI: The group of ministers (GoM) on Bhopal, a devise to counter the public outrage over the gas tragedy case verdict, may look into the demand for enhancing compensation for the families of the victims.

Sources said the GoM that will study the Bhopal verdict and its implications cannot restrict itself to carry out a post-mortem of the judgement. The government, they feel, will have to expand the mandate of the GoM as it cannot be unmindful of the political need for a higher compensation.

Legal experts in the government and outside are of the view that a judicial remedy may not be possible as the case is over 26 years old. Besides, the government agencies which have not collected the requisite evidence against Warren Anderson may find his extradition even tougher.

Former Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee has said that India may not succeed in extraditing Mr Anderson. According to him, the focus should be on giving more compensation to the victims and timely relief to them. “There is merit in Mr Sorabjee’s statement,” said a member of the GoM.

What is equally worrying for the government is the erosion of credibility of the GoM. At least two members of the GoM and senior officials in the government had argued for sparing Dow Chemicals, the US giant that bought Union Carbide, from the task of cleaning up the 1984 gas-leak site and the contaminated ground water.

Sources said the GoM, which will kick off its deliberations soon, will concentrate on evolving a mechanism to identify those affected by the tragedy and a higher compensation.

The GoM headed by home minister P Chidambaram includes health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, law minister Veerappa Moily, chemicals and fertilisers minister M K Alagiri, urban development minister Jaipal Reddy, science and technology minister Prithviraj Chauhan and housing and urban poverty alleviation and tourism minister Kumari Selja.