Bhopal, Jan 17 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday visited the defunct Union Carbide factory premises in old Bhopal — site of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy — and held discussions with officials from the state’s gas relief department.

This was perhaps the first time the Chief Minister visited the Union Carbide factory site after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, since the world’s deadliest industrial disaster unfolded on the night of December 2-3, 1984.

After an inspection, the Chief Minister stated that the Bhopal Gas Tragedy killed thousands of people, and many others who survived are still being treated for multiple diseases.

“After the tragedy occurred here in Bhopal, the toxic waste materials remained at the site for several years. Our government not only removed that toxic waste but successfully disposed of it forever under the instruction of the Madhya Pradesh High Court,” Yadav said while interacting with the media.

CM Yadav announced the plan to build a memorial at the site. “A memorial will be established here in the coming days, and other developments will also take place,” Yadav said.

Meanwhile, hitting at the opposition, the Chief Minister said that the Bhopal Gas Tragedy happened during the Congress government, and it left the toxic waste lying for years without doing anything to dispose of it.

Last year, following the instructions from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the state government successfully disposed of the toxic waste from the Union Carbide factory site and transported it to Pithampur in Dhar district on the night of January 1, 2025.

Around 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste materials were incinerated at a Ramky-operated disposal facility, with the process completed on June 30, 2025.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, touted as the world’s worst industrial disaster, claimed the lives of several thousand people after a deadly gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide plant on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.

The incident also resulted in extensive loss of livestock and damage to property affecting more than 5,400 households.

–IANS

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