Survivors of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy take out a march on the eve of 31st anniversary of the disaster in Bhopal on December 2, 2015. (PTI photo)
Hundreds of people marched from the Sindhi Colony to the defunct Union Carbide factory on Wednesday on the eve of the 31st anniversary of 1984 Bhopal gas leak tragedy.
Participants of the march, organised by various NGOs, also took an oath outside the factory to continue the struggle for justice and for more compensation.
According to the NGOs, the Indian government filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court on December 3, 2010, seeking $1.2 billion in additional compensation from the Union Carbide and its (present) owner, Dow Chemical Company.
"Unfortunately, there has been just one hearing on the petition in the last five years and the government has not moved a single application for urgent hearing," said Satinath Sarangi and Rachna Dingra of 'Bhopal Group for Information and Action'.
"The curative petition downplays the damage caused by the disaster and seeks too little compensation," they claimed.
Mr Sarangi told Press Trust of India that the main obstruction in securing justice for survivors was "continuing collusion" between the Government of India and the two American corporations - Union Carbide and Dow Chemical Company.
"In 1985 the Indian government asked for $3.3 billion as compensation, which would be about $7 billion today."
"Union Carbide has paid only $470 million; the least Indian government should be asking for is 6.5 billion dollars," said Rashida Bee, the head of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh.
"But the curative petition only asks for $1.2 billion," she said.