In UK I bank with SnatchWest PLC. Every time I am in Britain, I have to visit the local branch to sort out some bits and pieces. It is a small town branch, and the customer service is always very polite if not as efficient as I would like. Staff turnover is minimal so even though I turn up once every 12 – 18 months, several of the staff remember and know me. One of these women is an Indian and we get chatting about The Ganj and life in India. She is from Bhopal, the scene of the World´s worst ever industrial disaster.
After a water leak in the Union Carbide chemical plant, toxic gasses were emitted killing more than 8,000 people in the first three days. Many more have died subsequently as a direct result, and thousands more remain physically scarred. Compensation has been minimal to say the least and has been limited to just a small percentage of the victims, and the plant continues to leak toxins 25 years on.
Check out this excellent article from The Guardian.
I remember the news reports at the time very well for the scenes were nothing short of shocking.
My customer service acquaintance is embarrassed that her hometown will always remain synonymous with this catastrophe and says there is not a lot to see and do. However, this seems maybe a little harsh as I check out its possibilities in Lonely Planet. It informs me that it is the state capital of Central Madhya Pradesh and boasts a large mosque, an archeological state museum and a Museum of Man. Still not enough to tempt me to visit though.
No comments:
Post a Comment