yuchi's Blog

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2211974.stm

Date: 12/3 , 1984

Main point:

An Indian court has rejected a government attempt to reduce charges against a former Union Carbide official arising from one of the world's worst industrial disasters.

Thousands of people were killed in the central Indian city of Bhopal in December 1984 when gas leaked from a chemical factory belonging to Union Carbide.

A dense cloud of lethal gas escaped from the pesticide plant on the outskirts of the city and, like a phantom, rolled into the ramshackle homes of the nearby shanty town.

Then, picked by brisk winds blowing across India's central plains, it moved onwards into Bhopal, a city of 90,000 people. Nearly 3,000 people died in the first few days and tens of thousands suffered terrible side-effects. It was one of the world's worst industrial accidents.

My Onion:

At first the factory was built in order to improve the agriculture products because India government tried to find some ways to solve hungry problems. However, the dead chemical substance caused misery to six hundred thousand people and many generations of residents. The lawsuit compensate victims for money they should get that still didn’t finish. Because the company and India government were so afraid to pay a huge amount of money that they didn’t want to responsible.

I think the authority have to apologize to the victims immediately instead of focusing on profit problems. Although the huge money would lead to the company bankrupt or the India government get poor reputation, it’s the best way to tell the truth for the victims. The victims were inferior social status, they just to have a job for living. In fact, the industrial accident extended from 1984 until now. The place where the accident happened is desolate because the government is negative to solve this problem.