No pension to Bhopal gas tragedy widows: NHRC seeks response from MP govt, Centre

The National Human Rights Commission has sought action taken reports (ATRs) from the chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh and secretaries of two Union ministries on the issue of discontinuation of pension to women whose husbands died in the Bhopal gas tragedy. 

The rights panel has forwarded a complaint, jointly made by the gas tragedy survivors’ organizations, Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghthan (BGPMUS) and the Bhopal Gas Peedith Sangharsh Sahayog Samiti (BGPSSS), to the government authorities and asked for the reports within four weeks.

The two Union ministries that have been asked to submit the ATR are the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers and the ministry of law and justice.

In its complaint (appeal) dated July 30, 2020, the two survivors’ organizations had brought to the notice of the NHRC that the pension to 5,000 women, widowed as a result of the Bhopal gas tragedy of December 1984, was discontinued arbitrarily since December 2019.

The organizations said pension was discontinued despite the fact that out of a fund of Rs 30 crore allocated in 2013-14 by the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers for a pension of Rs 1,000 per month to 5,000 women, Rs 4.57 is still lying unused with the government. 

In 2010, following a recommendation of a group of ministers, pension of Rs 500 per month was approved for the gas tragedy widows. It was later hiked to Rs 1,000 per month.

The complaint further mentioned that a curative petition for enhanced compensation (of Rs 7,728 crore) for the tragedy survivors was pending in Supreme Court and in such circumstances, the widows of the tragedy were in deep financial trouble and forced to live in abysmal conditions. 

The organizations requested for immediate payment of pension with arrears since January 2020 and pushing the curative petition for enhanced compensation in SC.

Accepting the complaint and considering the above aspects, the NHRC, on August 7, directed for the complaint to be forwarded to the state and central governments and seek ATRs within four weeks.

Hamida Bi of BGPMUS and N.D. Jayaprakash of BGPSSS have further said that the organisations had on July 26 appealed to the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh to provide interim relief to the widows of gas victims/orphans at the rate of Rs 5,000 per month and to all other gas victims at the rate of Rs 3,000 per month pending the disposal of curative petition in the SC.

Another organization, the Gas Peedith Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, had also written several letters to the MP government regarding stoppage of pension to widowed gas victims. However, all such appeals and representations have not yet evoked any positive response from the state government.

 “We sincerely hope that in response to the NHRC notification, the state and central governments will take needed steps to alleviate the conditions of the widows of gas victims as well as all other gas victims without further delay,” Jayaprakash said.