"No action without public consent": Dhar Collector on protest over shifting of toxic waste from Bhopal gas tragedy

Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 3 (ANI): Reacting to protests against the transportation of toxic waste from the Bhopal gas tragedy site to Pithampur for disposal, Dhar district administration authorities on Friday assured that no action would be taken without taking public consent.
Officials emphasized that all concerns raised by the public would be addressed and urged protesters to refrain from breaking the law.
"The police and administration are maintaining the law and order in response to the protest at Pithampur bus stand against the waste brought here from Bhopal's Union Carbide India Limited site. I want to tell everyone that no action will be taken without taking people into confidence. All processes are being carried out following scientific measures and directives from the Madhya Pradesh High Court," Dhar Collector Priyank Mishra told ANI.
Mishra issued a warning to the protestors, saying that strict action would be taken if the situation escalated into a serious law and order issue.
"Public concerns will be heard, and discussions will continue as they always have. We will clear all the doubts of the public. There is nothing to hide. Everyone is urged to not take the law into their own hands at any cost. There should not be any kind of loss at any cost. Pithampur is an industrial area with schools and other establishments. It is important that neither we suffer any loss nor harm anyone else. If the situation worsens, strict action will follow," the collector said.
The protests took place a dramatic turn earlier in the day when two persons sustained burn injuries, reportedly as part of a self-immolation attempt. The protesters demanded the immediate removal of containers carrying hazardous waste from Pithampur.
One of the injured, Rajkumar Raghuvanshi told ANI, "I have done this (self-immolation) against the toxic waste brought here." The police team, present on the spot, immediately shifted the injured to a hospital for treatment.
Responding to the incident, Dhar Collector Mishra said, "We received the information about the incident, and the injured have been taken to the hospital for treatment. We urge everyone to ensure their own safety and the safety of others."
Dhar Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Singh said that the state government has made its stand clear about the waste being brought to Pithampur and that no action will be taken without taking the common people into confidence. He also urged people to not break the law. "People need not to worry or to take the law into their own hands. Civilians' security is the priority of the government," SP Singh said.
The toxic waste, which originated from the Union Carbide factory site in Bhopal, was transported to Pithampur for safe disposal on the night of January 1, nearly four decades after the Bhopal gas tragedy.
The Bhopal gas tragedy considered the world's worst industrial disaster, occurred on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984. A gas leak from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant claimed thousands of lives. (ANI)