New Delhi: After Law Minister Veerapa Moily described yesterday's verdict in the Bhopal gas tragedy case as "justice buried", Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has expressed anguish and says the furore over it is understandable.
"It is a matter of deep anguish for me personally. It has taken so long, and the verdict is clearly very unsatisfactory from every point of view and has caused understandable furore, particularly among the people who have been affected by the tragedy," Jairam said.
He has also said the Environment Protection Act will ensure a Bhopal-like tragedy does not happen again. "The Environment Protection Act has to be implemented at the earliest without fear or favour," Ramesh said.
25 years after the tragedy, the minister said the government still had to deal with the waste at the site and contamination studies were being conducted. "The National Green Tribunal will be based in Bhopal, so the city's association with Union Carbide is diminished," he said.
The Tribunal is a judicial body to deal exclusively with environment laws and give citizens a right to environment.