In a move bound to send strong signals to Dow Chemicals that India has indeed not forgotten either the Bhopal tragedy or the unrelenting fight for justice to the Bhopal Gas vitims, IIT Delhi has decided to return the funding by Dow Chemicals for a three day international conference to be organized by IIT. This decision was taken on Saturday.
This was in response to a great pressure mounted by the alumni, students and supporters fo the Indian Institute of Technology. It was sad to read earlier about the IITs trying to get as much funding as possible from this company.
It is also reported that IIT-Madras has been urged to bar Dow Chemicals from recruiting on-campus. Such pressure is being mounted in IIT-Bombay as well as IIT-Kharagpur.
I had written earlier about the proposed partnership of IIT and Dow Chemicals
Just hoping the Bhopal gas victims do see the light of justice soon.
Showing posts with label Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Show all posts
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
IIT and Union Carbide
The Indian Institutes of Technology, some of the most advanced schools in the world, known and respected worldwide for their commitment to excellence.
But why are they considering a partnership with Dow Chemical? Dow Chemical is the mother company of Union Carbide. Union Carbide being the fully owned subsidiary of Dow.
To jog our memory Union Carbide, the culprit in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, also called the Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry was responsible for the leak of the poisonous gas, Metyl Isocynade. On Monday, the 3rd of December, 1984, in a densely populated region in the city of Bhopal, Central India, a poisonous vapor burst from the tall stacks of the Union Carbide pesticide plant. This vapor was a highly toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate. Of the 800,000 people living in Bhopal at the time, 2,000 died immediately, and as many as 300,000 were injured. In addition, about 7,000 animals were injured, of which about one thousand were killed. “A series of studies made five years later showed that many of the survivors were still suffering from one or several of the following ailments: partial or complete blindness, gastrointestinal disorders, impaired immune systems, post traumatic stress disorders, and menstrual problems in women. A rise in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and offspring with genetic defects was also noted.” (The Bhopal Disaster) This incident we now refer to as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, which has also been called “Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry” one of the worst commercial industrial disasters in history.(Cohen)
The issue is settled, those involved say - " $500 is plenty good for an Indian."
However, the culprit, Union Carbide remains a fugitive from Indian law. Dow says it will not allow Carbide to appear for trial in India because India has "no jurisdiction."
In 2005, the Global IIT Conference tried to honor Dow's Chairman by inviting him to keynote the event. 1300 IIT alumni called for his invitation to be recinded, and he quietly withdrew.
Now Dow is trying to buy their way into the IITs. All IIT aluminus whoever know about his are signing a petition asking the IITs not to deal with a company that scorns India's laws and perpetrates the suffering of its citizens.
To help in dissuading IIT from involving with Dow and ensuring they do the right thing, these people can be contacted:
Priya Ranjan, IIT alum: priya@aidindia.org
Sudarshan Suresh: sudarshan.suresh@gmail.com
But why are they considering a partnership with Dow Chemical? Dow Chemical is the mother company of Union Carbide. Union Carbide being the fully owned subsidiary of Dow.
To jog our memory Union Carbide, the culprit in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, also called the Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry was responsible for the leak of the poisonous gas, Metyl Isocynade. On Monday, the 3rd of December, 1984, in a densely populated region in the city of Bhopal, Central India, a poisonous vapor burst from the tall stacks of the Union Carbide pesticide plant. This vapor was a highly toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate. Of the 800,000 people living in Bhopal at the time, 2,000 died immediately, and as many as 300,000 were injured. In addition, about 7,000 animals were injured, of which about one thousand were killed. “A series of studies made five years later showed that many of the survivors were still suffering from one or several of the following ailments: partial or complete blindness, gastrointestinal disorders, impaired immune systems, post traumatic stress disorders, and menstrual problems in women. A rise in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and offspring with genetic defects was also noted.” (The Bhopal Disaster) This incident we now refer to as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, which has also been called “Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry” one of the worst commercial industrial disasters in history.(Cohen)
The issue is settled, those involved say - " $500 is plenty good for an Indian."
However, the culprit, Union Carbide remains a fugitive from Indian law. Dow says it will not allow Carbide to appear for trial in India because India has "no jurisdiction."
In 2005, the Global IIT Conference tried to honor Dow's Chairman by inviting him to keynote the event. 1300 IIT alumni called for his invitation to be recinded, and he quietly withdrew.
Now Dow is trying to buy their way into the IITs. All IIT aluminus whoever know about his are signing a petition asking the IITs not to deal with a company that scorns India's laws and perpetrates the suffering of its citizens.
To help in dissuading IIT from involving with Dow and ensuring they do the right thing, these people can be contacted:
Priya Ranjan, IIT alum: priya@aidindia.org
Sudarshan Suresh: sudarshan.suresh@gmail.com
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