President Obama and Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster

Date: 06-Nov-2010
To
Respected, Barack Hussein Obama
Hon'ble President
United States of America
White House
Washington D.C.

Sub: Request for your intervention to secure additional compensation to the survivors and victims of the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster, the worst industrial accident in human history.

With Respects, Sir:

1. My name is K.V.Dhananjay. I am a citizen of India. I am 36 years old. I am an advocate in practice at the Supreme Court of India and at several High Courts across India.

2. I take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to you, your family and to your entourage while on a visit to India beginning 06-Nov-2010.

3. I wish to request you for your time and reflection upon the consequences from Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster that occurred on 2-3,Dec 1984 in Bhopal, the capital city of a northern State in India, Madhya Pradesh.

4. An unexpected, accidental or negligent release of methyl isocyanite in an industrial unit in Bhopal led to unprecedented loss of human life and limb - to an extent that the said event is characterised, universally, as the 'worst industrial accident in the history of mankind' (a view also endorsed by numerous decisions of Courts in the United States). In relation to the human toll from this catastrophe, Affidavits by the Government put the number of deaths in excess of 15,000 and severe injuries at 5,58,125.

5. On 14-Feb-1989, the Supreme Court of India set the monetary compensation and settlement in relation to the said disaster at a sum of 470 Million US Dollars . The said sum of 470 Million US Dollars was stated to "finally dispose of all past, present and future claims, causes of action and civil and criminal proceedings ...with respect to all past, present and future deaths, personal injuries, health effects, compensation, losses, damages and civil and criminal complaints of any nature whatsoever ...arising out of, relating to or connected with the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster, including past, present and future claims, causes of action and proceedings...

6. It may not be profitable now to enquire into what could have been bought with a sum of 470 Million US Dollars in the year 1989. However, in 2009 or 2010, a sum of 470 Million US Dollars will barely cover the cost of producing, marketing and releasing two big-budget Hollywood films.

7. Yes. 'Avatar' and '2012', two Hollywood releases in 2009 that fared better than domestic fare in India cost more than 470 Million US Dollars to produce, market and release. Similarly, 'Iron Man 2' and 'Toy Story 3', two Hollywood summer-2010 movies released in India and elsewhere cost much more than 470 Million US Dollars to produce, market and release.

8. Any person acutely aware of the inadequacy of 470 Million US Dollars to compensate for the ‘worst industrial accident in human history’ will always remember your overwhelming role in compelling BP to provide for a 20 Billion US Dollars reparation fund to account for and to compensate for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill that occurred on 20-Apr-2010 from a drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico - the responsibility for which accident has been fastened upon BP. In all, BP has set aside 32.2 Billion US Dollars in its financial statements to account for the said oil spill.

9. I write here to express my request to you, as the President of the United States, to consider a similar intervention and to persuade Dow Chemicals to provide for a greater sum of monetary compensation to account for the suffering and misery inflicted and forced by the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster.

10. I thank you for your time for this letter. I hope that you will recognise that the people of this world will incur gratitude towards your office and will ever remain grateful for any personal intervention you may initiate to secure fuller justice to the victims of what has become the worst industrial accident in human history - the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster.

Sincerely

K.V.DHANANJAY

Advocate

#127, Lawyers Chambers
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi 110 001

Also at:
No.296, Kamakshipalya
Magadi Main Road
Bangalore 560 079

Email: dhananjaylegal@gmail.com
Mob: +91 9902909390