Dow Chemicals goes scott free

On 3rd December 1984 there was a leak of Methyl Isocyanide(MIC) in Union Carbide factory in Bhopal.More than 20,000 people died due to the leak of poisnous gas which is considered as the worst accidents in human history.

Union Carbide didnt give any adequate compesation to the affected population.There has still case being going on.

This Union Carbide was purchased by Dow Chemicals last year.Now Dow Chemicals says that they dont bear any liability of the past accidents of Union Carbide.Hence the case which is going on in India has nothing to do about it.This lead to wide spread agitation in India.

Indian government has suddenly fallen in line with Dow Chemicals.Indian government is planning to grab all the compensation which is intended for affected people.What they have decided is to have out of court settlement.For this Indian government will withdrew its petition from court.As for Dow part,it will invest $1 Billion in India.

Union Minister Kamal Nath has come out to be most vocal supporter of this deal.Pleading for Dow, he says that, "given the scope for future investments in the sector, it stands to reason that instead of continuing to agitate these issues in court for a protracted period, due consideration be given to the prospect of settling these issues appropriately."

First of all $1 Billion investment is not at all any kind of compensation.They are responsible for deaths of many people and we are inviting them to do business and earn profits!! It doesnt make any sense.If this company was in some other country then it would have been closed long back.Also, in February 2007, Dow Chemical Company was fined $325,000 by the US Securities Exchange Commission for having paid at least $200,000 in bribes to Indian officials including senior ones in the ministry of agriculture.If you ever read about Farming and Agri sector you will come to know that Dow chemicals is immensly promoting a pesticide called Dursban. This pesticide is highly toxic in nature and is banned in US and many other countries.But with help of corruption this Pesticide was given a thumbs up by all scientific agencies in India.