‘THE GAS WIDOWS COLONY HAS POOR INFRASTRUCTURE’
In 1990, Chirounji Bai, 70, got a house in what goes by the name of Gas Widows Colony in Bhopal. Open drains, potholed roads and a general air of neglect gives the place a dismal air. Residents complain that in monsoon, when the drains begin to overflow and the roads are waterlogged, life becomes unbearable here. “I was among the first ones to be allotted a house here. The houses here were given in three phases. Over the years, many of the widows sold off the houses or gave them on rent and moved away,” she says. Chirounji Bai lost her husband nine months after the disaster. “He had inhaled a lot of the toxic fumes. We took him to the hospital immediately, but his internal organs had been affected. He never recovered,” she informs. She herself has to cope with frequent chest pains, cough and breathlessness. “I can’t even walk a few steps without beginning to pant,” says Chirounji. The disaster also killed her daughter, who had been married shortly before the wedding. “She was married outside Bhopal, but had been visiting us that night. My grandson
MY HUSBAND HAD INHALED A LOT OF THE TOXIC FUMES. WE TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY, BUT HIS INTERNAL ORGANS HAD BEEN AFFECTED. HE NEVER RECOVERED
CHIROUNJI BAI
was born with complications. He has breathing trouble and can’t do heavy physical work. My 45-year-old son can’t work. He has been ailing since the gas tragedy. My husband had a shop, we had to sell it after the disaster because there was no one to look after it,” she says. Chirounji Bai did receive Rs 10 lakh as compensation, but with no steady income, the family still has to face financial constraints. This colony has such poor infrastructure. Drinking water and drainage are big problems.” On November 10, Chirounji Bai will be in Delhi with the other victims in their struggle for justice.