The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday granted six weeks time to the state government to dispose of the Bhopal gas tragedy waste at Pithampur near Indore after clearing all doubts of the public and taking people into confidence.

During hearing on the matter at Jabalpur, Chief Justice S K Kait and Justice Vivek Jain allowed six weeks to the state government to act on the waste disposal ensuring all safety guidelines.

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State Advocate General Prashant Singh urged the court that the state government wants to take into confidence the public of Pithampur and to clear all doubts and fears from the minds of the people before incinerating the waste.

The state government also submitted in the court that various misleading and false rumours were in circulation regarding the waste and that was creating unwanted unrest and tension at Pithampur.

Following that, the High Court restrained the print, audio and visual media from carrying any incorrect news on the matter.

The High Court set the next date of hearing for 18 February.

Later in the day, MP Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said that the waste was transferred from Bhopal on the directives of the Supreme Court and the High Court. The CM pointed out that Pithampur is the only facility equipped to handle the disposal of such chemical waste.

“I am thankful to the High Court for accepting the state government’s submission and allowing us time of six weeks for the waste disposal,” the CM said.

“I want to assure everyone that our government will give top priority to the well being of the people. I also want to appeal to people not to get influenced by any rumours or fake news about the waste and its disposal,” the CM averred.

He said the state government would take all further necessary steps only in accordance with the court’s directives and by ensuring all safety protocols.

Earlier, the 358 metric tons of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy waste, lying abandoned for 40 years inside the closed Union Carbide factory at Bhopal, was finally removed and transferred to Pithampur for incineration, by 12 container trucks on 2 January.

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

The waste has not yet been unloaded from the container trucks, which are parked inside the ‘Ramky Enviro’ incineration facility at Pithampur.

According to official figures, about 5,500 people were killed and five lakh were injured in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, which occurred due to the leak of MIC (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.