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Bhopal Gas Disaster History: Timeline, Settlements & Relief

On the night of 2-3 December 1984, a methyl isocyanate (MIC) leak from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal killed thousands and injured h…

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THE LEAK

Methyl Isocyanate Leak at the UCIL Plant

Water entered a tank storing methyl isocyanate at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant, triggering a runaway reaction that released toxic gas over nearby Bhop…

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EMERGENCY RELIEF

Immediate Relief Begins; 3,787 Deaths Recorded

Madhya Pradesh began emergency relief - food, medical treatment, financial assistance - and later recorded 3,787 deaths in its early government compensation category, di…

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CLAIMS ACT

Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster (Processing of Claims) Act

India centralised legal representation for victims under the Central Government and created the Office of the Welfare Commissioner to process claims.

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$470M SETTLEMENT

Supreme Court Facilitates $470 Million Settlement

Union Carbide Corporation agreed to pay US$470 million to settle claims. The order also quashed criminal proceedings, which the Court restored in 1991.

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PAYOUTS BEGIN

Compensation Disbursement Begins; Anderson Declared Absconder

Eight years after the leak, payment began against 1,029,517 registered claims. Former UCC chairman Warren Anderson was declared an absconder for not returning to face tr…

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PRO-RATA ORDERED

Supreme Court Orders Pro-Rata Compensation

Accumulated interest and exchange-rate gains on the settlement fund, roughly Rs 1,500 crore, were ordered distributed as a second compensation round to already-paid clai…

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CONVICTIONS

Seven Former UCIL Officials Convicted

A Bhopal court convicted seven former UCIL officials of criminal negligence, 26 years after the leak, sentencing them to two years' imprisonment - widely criticised as i…

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PETITION DISMISSED

Supreme Court Dismisses Curative Petition

A five-judge bench dismissed the government's bid for roughly Rs 7,844 crore in additional compensation, confirming the 1989 settlement as final.

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WASTE MOVED

337 Tonnes of Hazardous Waste Transported to Pithampur

Waste stored at the derelict factory for over four decades was finally moved for disposal - the first physical cleanup step, not completion of site remediation.

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