Four decades after the Union Carbide disaster, documents accessed by NDTV expose a massive collapse of Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal Gas Relief and Rehabilitation programme, revealing how a Rs 272.75 crore fund meant for medical, social, economic and environmental rehabilitation of gas victims was looted, wasted or simply never used.
Four survivors' organisations call the department a "milch cow" feeding contractors and officials, while gas victims continue to struggle with lifelong illnesses, disability, contaminated water and collapsing public hospitals.
Government records across 2010-2025, accessed from multiple departments, confirm a pattern of failed projects, abandoned infrastructure and shocking under-utilisation of funds even as the state claims "successful implementation".
Rs 272.75 Crore Sanctioned But Rs 139 Crore Still Lying Unspent
According to the government's own 2024-25 report, only Rs 132.34 crore of the sanctioned Rs 272.75 crore has been utilised, leaving Rs 139 crore untouched. Yet families continue to live without proper medical care, pensions or functioning sewage systems.
Crores Spent, But Hospitals Still Dysfunctional, OTs Built, But Never Used No Anaesthetists, No Surgeons
Modular operation theatres were built in at least three major gas relief hospitals - Indira Gandhi Hospital, Shakir Ali Khan Hospital, and Kamla Nehru Hospital - but have not performed a single major surgery because there are no specialists to run them. The medical utilisation records show multiple projects listed as "work not started" or "incomplete".
An internal letter from Indira Gandhi Hospital confirms the OT has remained non-functional for years, despite repeated reminders to the engineering department. IGH OT is not working.
MRI, CT scans, colour Doppler, TMT machines, ventilators, laminar air flow units and digital X-rays are mostly installed and many purchased but hardly any used, because hospitals don't have trained technicians or doctors.
Oxygen Pipelines Installed... In Hospitals That Have No ICU
Central oxygen lines were fitted in hospitals such as Shakir Ali Khan, JN Hospital and the Pulmonary Centre, none of which have intensive care units, making the installations practically useless.
Specialist Posts 90% Vacant
The Supreme Court Monitoring Committee and gas victims' organisations confirm that 90% of specialist posts and 40-50% of doctor posts are unfilled, the main reason that new equipment remains unused.
Yoga Centres Become Marriage Halls, Sewage Systems Never Built
Seven yoga centres built in 2011-12 have never held a single yoga class. No yoga therapists were hired; centres now serve as marriage halls or lie abandoned.
Rs 5 Crore Allocated For Widows' Colony Sewage, But Drains Still Don't Work
A decade after the sanction, the sewage system in Karondh Widows' Colony does not function at all.
Widow Pensions Stopped
Although Rs 30 crore was allocated, pensions to thousands of widows were stopped after five years; hundreds still haven't received dues.
The annual report confirms ongoing pension disbursal delays.
94% Of Payments "Fraudulent", RTI Reveals
Between 2011 and 2013, Rs 18.13 crore was paid to 22 agencies to train 12,155 survivors. But RTI investigations found 25% of names were fake, over half of job-offer letters were forged, and only 6% of trainees got stipends.
Funds Used, But Water Still Contaminated
The state claims the full Rs 50 crore has been spent on providing piped water. But survivors say 80% of gas-affected communities still receive sewage-mixed water, as no sewage treatment system was built.
"Contractors Prospered, Gas Victims Abandoned": Survivors Demand Chief Minsiter-Level Inquiry
Leaders of four gas survivors' organisations, Rashida Bee, Balkrishna Namdeo, Rachna Dhingra and Nasreen Bi, have demanded that the Chief Minister convene a meeting of the State Advisory Committee and order a full investigation into misuse of funds, non-functioning hospitals, fraudulent training programmes and decade-long delays in social rehab projects. They assert that the department systematically enriched contractors and officials while gas victims continued to suffer without proper care.
The documents reveal a chilling truth: Bhopal's survivors were promised rehabilitation; what they got was corruption, negligence and empty buildings.
