Even as the 337 metric ton toxic waste lying abandoned for 40 years after the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy at Union Carbide factory in Bhopal is almost ready to be finally removed and sent for incineration, members of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic have begun an indefinite protest alleging that the Union government is not clearing the ban on the Trust’s Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration.

According to the Trust’s staff members, the clinic provides free medical treatment to around 37,000 registered gas tragedy survivors suffering from various ailments due to the exposure to Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas that caused the tragedy.

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The protesters said the Trust receives donations from India and abroad for the free services and the average expenditure incurred annually for treatment of gas victims is around Rs 3.5 crore.

They alleged that due to the government’s ban on the Trust’s FCRA registration, the foreign funding has stopped and the Trust is facing a severe financial crisis.

The dharna is being held under the banner of the Union Carbide Poison Victims Healthcare Rights Front. The indefinite sit-in is for demanding early FCRA registration of the Sambhavna Trust by the Home Ministry.

The protesters lamented that the clinic has been closed from Wednesday, after serving for the past 28 years, due to lack of funds caused by delay in FCRA registration.

Sambhavna Trust consultant Satinath Sarangi said the 52 staff members have been rendered jobless due to the closure of the clinic.

Meanwhile, the 337 metric ton poisonous waste at the abandoned Union Carbide/ Dow Chemicals factory premises near Aishbagh locality in Old Bhopal area is almost ready to be shifted from Bhopal to an incineration site at Pithampur near Indore, on the directives of the MP High Court.

According to officials, 12 special trucks fitted with GPS and reinforced containers have been loaded and they would be used to transfer the waste in one go and a green corridor would be created for the smooth transportation from Bhopal to Pithampur, a distance of around 250 km.

According to Madhya Pradesh Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department Director Swatantra Kumar Singh, the waste would be destroyed by a team of experts under the supervision of the officials from the Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Board and a detailed report would be submitted to the High Court.

The MP High Court on 3 December 2024 had set a four-week deadline to shift the toxic waste from the factory.

According to sources, container trucks are most likely to transfer the toxic waste from Bhopal to Pithampur late night on 1 January.

According to official figures, about 5,500 people were killed and 5 lakh were injured in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, which occurred due to the leak of Methyl Isocyanate gas from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984. It is termed to be one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.