Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Shri Babulal Gaur called on Union Urban Development Minister Shri Kamalnath here today and handed over to him an action plan chalked out for Narmada River’s conservation by the State Urban Administration & Development Department. He demanded funds to the tune of Rs. 1298.87 crore for solid waste management, sewerage, construction of rain-fed drains and nullahs, cleanliness and plantation.

The representatives of five organisations of Bhopal gas survivors have urged the Group of Ministers on Bhopal to take a long term view while dealing with the issue of hazardous waste and toxic contamination. The GOM will meet on May 21 to discuss issue of disposal of 350MT of toxic waste of Union Carbide as directed by the Supreme Court. The SC has listed the matter for May 28 as it is awaiting decision of GOM on disposal of this waste.

The Group of Ministers on Bhopal Gas Tragedy has decided to dispose of in Germany the toxic waste lying on the Union Carbide premises.

A two-judge bench of Jabalpur high court on Friday admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding allotment of land to the private Chirayu Hospital in the state capital and served notices on the Madhya Pradesh government asking for a reply within four weeks.

The high court bench comprising Justice Rakesh Saxena and Justice S.C. Sinho on Friday responded to the PIL by Mr Tarun Gupta, secretary Parishram Samaj Kalyan Samiti by issueing notices to six state departments — these are departments of revenue, housing and environment, capital project administration, Medical Council of India and Chirayu Charitable Society.

The Bhopal Municipal Corporation has developed five e-waste collection centers as per the notification of the Union Government. Citizens, traders, residential and non-residential buildings, Government and non-Government organisations can deposit e-waste like fridges, televisions, and computers, mobiles and other electronic waste in these centres.

The world’s largest toilet-cum-bath chain Sulabh has now become much more unhygienic and the people of the State capital are the worst sufferers. Bhopal’s public toilet-cum-bath complexes run by Sulabh International have become very unhygienic and this is due to negligence of authorities and those in charge of cleaning them.

More than two years ago his gesture of holding a piece of waste lying on the defunct Union Carbide plant — and declaring “I am still alive. I am not coughing” — had angered activists because the then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh seemed to accuse them of milking the tragedy. No longer holding that portfolio, Ramesh has now become a posterboy for the cause of victims with him writing to the GoM on Bhopal and successor Jayanthi Natarajan, suggesting that the waste could be incinerated in Germany and not Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh.

Bhopal: The Centre had barred the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) from publishing the Bhopal gas tragedy-related research work for nine years, information under the RTI Act has revealed. It was not immediately clear why the ban was imposed. Some Union petroleum and chemicals ministry documents, including minutes of a committee of secretaries meeting, obtained under the Act brought the ban to light.

BHOPAL: PETA volunteers caught the attention of many as they painted themselves green and took out a demonstration on "Go Vegan for Earth Day" at the busy VIP road on Friday. Two PETA volunteers, Rachna Singh and Mayank Telang, painted their bodies green and held placards with slogans "Eat Green and Go Vegan."

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Central Pollution Control Board to file a comprehensive affidavit on the “character and content” of reported contamination of ground water in Bhopal's Arifnagar area due to the 1985 Union Carbide gas tragedy.

A Bench of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J. Chelameshwar also asked the Board's counsel Vijay Panjwani to recommend measures to overcome the contamination and action to be taken in this regard.