Bhopal (MP): A two-fold crisis has arisen for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims in Madhya Pradesh due to COVID-19 infection.
On the night of 2-3 December 1984, Union Carbide gas leak had caused a swell of death, which the victims are still enduring and are still suffering from serious health-related complications even after decades.
Corona infection has even added to the misery of such people. This concern has also increased in manifold due to the reason that all 5 people have died due to the coronavirus spread in Bhopal in less than a month and all were gas tragedy victims.
According to Rachna Dhingra, of Bhopal Group for Information and Action, an organization working for Bhopal gas victims, the number of gas victims in the capital city Bhopal is around 5 lakhs.
"These people suffer from many partial and serious diseases like Tuberculosis, cancer and other physical and mental deformities and their immunity is much weaker as compared to that of a normal person. It is obvious, that the coronavirus poses a greater risk to them as compared to others," said Dhingra.
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As many as 5 patients have lost their lives due to coronavirus in Bhopal till date. The Gas Victims Organization claims that they all were gas tragedy victims, and were continuously suffering from the pathetic after-effect of the gas scandal for the last 35 years.
After the death of the third gas tragedy affected person from coronavirus in the Jahangirabad area of Bhopal, the administration has completely sealed the entire area and large-scale screening and testing is being conducted.
The government has said that anyone who is under suspicion in the area may get themselves tested.
Due to the ongoing corona infection, the state government had also acquired Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Center to convert it into a Corona Hospital and the hospital was evacuated from the gas victims. The Bhopal Group for Information and Action has challenged this decision of the state government before the High Court of the state.
After which the government, taking a U-turn, has withdrawn its order. OPD in BMHRC has again been opened for gas tragedy victims and is functioning as before.
"This decision of the state government is likely to bring relief to the Bhopal gas victims," added Dhingra.
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