Washington:
The Bhopal gas tragedy, world's worst industrial disaster may be making big news in all quarters within the country. However, the global stage does not seem very upbeat about the matter.
At the Indo-US CEO Forum held in Washington on June 22, the issue was likely to come up, but it remained inside the closed box. All eyes were set on this meet as a possible face-off between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Dow CEO Andrew Liveris was likely. But, with the latter giving the meeting a miss, expectations failed to materialise.
Several Indian CEOs, who attended the meeting, told media that the Bhopal issue did not figure in the talks they had at the State Department on Tuesday.
Finance Minister Mukherjee, who along with other officials from India and the US, including the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, attended the luncheon meeting with the CEOs, said that the issue did not appear at all. Many smelt fish behind Liveris's uninformed absence as he was slated to attend the meeting being a member of the CEO Forum.
In 1999, Dow Chemical Company bought the Union Carbide Corporation which was responsible for the world's worst industrial disaster in 1984, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
Dow washed its hands of any liability for the tragedy which occurred when toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on December 3, 1984, killing about 20,000 people while injuring thousands more over the course of time.
On repeated media probing, a Dow spokesman said that, Liveris was unable to attend the meeting because of his prior engagement. He also clarified that his absence from the meeting has nothing to do with the Bhopal controversy.
Al though, it made a good cover up for the moment, it's hard to believe Liveris did not have the meeting planned in advance as the invites were sent out months before. Call it an excuse or a genuine reason, but it appears that for India, this forum could have served as an opportunity to seek answers to many standing queries.
At the Indo-US CEO Forum held in Washington on June 22, the issue was likely to come up, but it remained inside the closed box. All eyes were set on this meet as a possible face-off between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Dow CEO Andrew Liveris was likely. But, with the latter giving the meeting a miss, expectations failed to materialise.
Several Indian CEOs, who attended the meeting, told media that the Bhopal issue did not figure in the talks they had at the State Department on Tuesday.
Finance Minister Mukherjee, who along with other officials from India and the US, including the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, attended the luncheon meeting with the CEOs, said that the issue did not appear at all. Many smelt fish behind Liveris's uninformed absence as he was slated to attend the meeting being a member of the CEO Forum.
In 1999, Dow Chemical Company bought the Union Carbide Corporation which was responsible for the world's worst industrial disaster in 1984, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
Dow washed its hands of any liability for the tragedy which occurred when toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on December 3, 1984, killing about 20,000 people while injuring thousands more over the course of time.
On repeated media probing, a Dow spokesman said that, Liveris was unable to attend the meeting because of his prior engagement. He also clarified that his absence from the meeting has nothing to do with the Bhopal controversy.
Al though, it made a good cover up for the moment, it's hard to believe Liveris did not have the meeting planned in advance as the invites were sent out months before. Call it an excuse or a genuine reason, but it appears that for India, this forum could have served as an opportunity to seek answers to many standing queries.
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