NEW DELHI: (AMN) The Group of Ministers, GoM, on Bhopal gas tragedy has decided to sanction additional Rs. 72 crore for those who died in the gas tragedy in 1984. this fund is meant for those who were left out earlier. About four thousand more victims are likely to be covered by this. The GoM, which met here on Monday, also decided to constitute an expert group to decide on the new place for disposal of toxic waste. The panel headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram reviewed the progress made by various ministries since June.


The GoM had made 22 recommendations, which were accepted by the Union Cabinet. The GoM had recommended legal recourse to enhance charges against those responsible for the world’s worst industrial disaster, including pursuance of extradition of former Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson from the United States. It also focused on health-related and compensation issues of the victims and survivors of the  gas leakage tragedy .  A relief and remediation package of  1265.56 crore rupees  was also announced. Seeking to further compensate for the lapses in previous court rulings, the Central Bureau of Investigation had in August filed a curative petition before the Supreme Court seeking restoration of stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which attracts maximum punishment of ten-year jail term, against the accused in the tragedy .A lower court in Bhopal had awarded mere two years of imprisonment to seven convicted Union Carbide officials