Bhopal Gas tragedy: PM asks GoM to meet immediately

New Delhi, Jun 14 (PTI) With questions being raised
over handling of the Bhopal gas tragedy, India's Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh Monday directed the Group of Ministers
headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram to meet "immediately"
and report to the Cabinet within ten days.
The GoM has been asked to assess the options and
remedies available to the government in the light of the
Bhopal court's verdict in the gas tragedy case.
"The Prime Minister has directed that the GoM headed
by Home Minister and constituted to look into all issues
relating to Bhopal gas disaster, may meet immediately to take
stock of the situation arising out of the recent court
judgement to assess the options and remedies available to the
government on the various issues involved and to report to the
Cabinet within ten days," a PMO spokesman said.
The GoM was reconstituted last week to go into a range
of issues including the relief and rehabilitation of victims
and their families.
Nearly 26 years after the disaster left over 15,000
dead in Bhopal, capital of central Indian state of Madhya
Pradesh, former Union Carbide India Chairman Keshub Mahindra
and six others were sentenced to two years imprisonment.
After Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson was allowed
to leave the country, the Opposition slammed the then Congress
governments both at the Centre and the state on the issue.
Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh, who was Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister in 1984, faced flak from both within
Congress as also other parties on the exit of Anderson.
Giving a new spin on why Anderson was allowed to leave
the country, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said
Singh had taken the decision keeping in view the prevailing
law and order situation.
Though Mukherjee, like many Congress leaders, squarely
put the onus of the decision on Singh, the then Madhya Pradesh
chief minister, he said this was "thought necessary" as
tempers were running high after the incident. PTI