India: German Firm Refuses To Dispose Bhopal Waste
By UCA News
A German firm, which was to carry out the disposal of the chemical waste from the premises of the union carbide plant in Bhopal, has refused to do so, citing “negative” media campaign in that country.
The company GIZ was to incinerate 350 metric tonnes of packaged chemical waste, which was lying in the factory after the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, for a payment of US$ 4.5 million.
In a letter to Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, GIZ said it had reviewed its engagement following a “negative” media campaign in Germany that depicted the project as being against the interests of the German public.
“We have made an assessment of the situation in Germany and decided that it would be in the best interest of strong Indo-German cooperation not to pursue this project offer further on,” the letter said.
The company said it had been interested in supporting the project but “due to some German media misrepresentation, GIZ regrets to withdraw.”
The central government in July had cleared the plan to dispose thr solid waste from the defunct pesticide plant of the Union Carbide, where a gas leak killed at least 15,000 people.
Source: Hindustan times/timeslive
