South Asia Citizens Web

Even after 25 years, Bhopal is the worst example of black deeds of
multinational companies and government’s irresponsibility towards
citizens. For many of the gas-victims, the situation is not very different
from the day of tragedy. Till date, neither proper compensation has been
awarded nor have appropriate arrangements been made for their treatment and rehabilitation. More than 25 thousand gas victims have apparently died so far due to the toxic effects of the gases while more than three lakh victims have been issued health cards to enable them to get continuous treatment for various disaster-related ailments. Instead of attempting to medically, economically and socially rehabilitate the gas victims, the Central and State governments are working against their own people and defending the interests of Union Carbide.

We, 642 persons coming from 93 countries and representing 450 organisations of peasant and family farmers, small scale fisher folk, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, youth, women, the urban people, agricultural workers, local and international NGOs, and other social actors,
gathered in Rome from the 13 -17 of November, 2009 united in our determination to work for and demand food sovereignty in a moment in which the growing numbers of the hungry has surpassed the one billion mark. Food sovereignty is the real solution to the tragedy of hunger in our world.

Some of the resolutions adopted at the congregation of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind in Deoband’s Dar-Ul-Uloom seminary strongly offend the principle of women’s equality.

We as citizens, members of the academia, people’s movements, action groups and representatives of various community based organisations have for the last four years been consistently raising several concerns in the matter of the SEZ legislation passed by the UPA government in 2005 followed by the widespread establishment of SEZs across the country. The provisions of the legislation itself, which promotes the creation of new political and economic territories in the country, made it clear that this is a recipe for disaster and instability. But the actual implementation and creation of these zones have also demonstrated that the stated goals of industrialisation, technological development or even export growth are a mere eye wash. After four years of the SEZ Act - it is out in the open - that these zones are promoting expropriation of public and community resources for profit interests of domestic corporations and the financial market.

Hawkers are typically treated as encroachers of public space and are forced to bear the additional burden of legal insecurity, harassment and bribes to different elements. As pressure on urban land increases, more and more laws are invoked to harass, exploit or coerce the street vendors, including some sections of the Police Act and the Indian Penal Code.