Countdown to Clean: MPPCB's Plan for Union Carbide's Toxic Ash Disposal

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has extended a four-week grace period to the MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) for devising a disposal plan for ash produced by burning toxic waste from Union Carbide's plant in Dhar district. This decision comes following a request from the MPPCB for additional time.

The legacy of the Bhopal gas tragedy, in which toxic methyl isocyanate leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory, causing thousands of deaths and injuries, persists as legal wranglings continue. Alok Pratap Singh's 2004 public interest litigation, which sought the waste disposal, now moves forward as a suo motu petition following his death.

Consequently, the court is dealing with claims of radioactive ash substances and necessary technology, previously unavailable in India. With the final incineration of overhead 358 tonnes of toxic waste, the pressure mounts for the MPPCB to finalize a clearance timetable.

(With inputs from agencies.)