THE Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to urgently hear a plea against the incineration of hazardous waste of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, which claimed 5,479 lives and maimed more than five lakh. The apex court had on February 27 refused to interfere with a Madhya Pradesh High Court order on shifting of the toxic waste and disposing it in Pithampur area in Dhar district. Thematterwasmentionedon Wednesday for urgent listing beforeabenchofJusticesSanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma. “You have failed this attempt before the MP High Court.Your prayer was rejected. You madeanattempttostopthis before this court also. No interim order has been granted. Now during vacation, you want us to stayallthis?

 

Forhow manyyears, we are fightingwiththatwaste?” the bench asked the lawyer who mentioned the matter. The bench said the matter would be heard after the partial court working days in the apex court would be over in July. Highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate leaked from the Union Carbidefactory duringtheintervening night of December 2-3, 1984,eventuallykilling5,479people and maiming over five lakh. It is considered to be among the worst industrial disasters in theworld.Whilementioningthe matter for urgent listing, the counsel said the case related toincinerationofaround377tonneof hazardous waste. “What doyou want in that matter?” thebench asked.The petitioner, thecounselsaid,soughtastayontheorder asking for incineration of the waste. “You have made all attempts. All these NGOs; all thesesocalledsocialactivists.No. Very sorry. The HC is monitoring it,” the bench observed.