New Delhi, December 1 (IANS). Imagine, on a cold night, poison is suddenly dissolved in the air, forcing countless people to die in agony. That dark night of December 2, 1984 was something like that in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a Union Carbide factory, which exploded due to the pressure created by contact with water in Tank 610. The leak of pesticide-making gas methyl isocyanate resulted in more than 2 thousand deaths and more than 50 thousand injured and physically disabled people. Even today, after 41 years, there are wounds on the streets of Bhopal that can hardly ever heal. To learn a lesson about this painful reminder, India celebrates National Pollution Control Day on December 2 every year. Steps such as the Welfare Commissioner’s Office established in 1985 and the Bhopal Gas Leakage Act sought to provide justice to the victims. According to the information found on the official website of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals of Madhya Pradesh, in February 1989, the American company Union Carbide Corporation paid a compensation of US $ 470 million (about Rs 3,000 crore) on the orders of the Supreme Court. This amount was to provide justice to the victims. But the real division began in November 1992. Initially, it was called “original compensation”, which was given to the injured, families of the dead and sick. A total of 5,74,394 claims were submitted. Till July 31, 2024, 5,73,959 claims have been sanctioned and a total of Rs 1,549.33 crore has been distributed. This means almost every claim received an average of Rs 27,000. But the question is, can money bring back lives? This day we warn that pollution is not only the enemy of air and water, but also the enemy of civilization. Today, glaciers are melting, rivers are drying up, Delhi’s pollution has become the enemy of breathing. In this situation, the importance of National Pollution Control Day increases even more. Considering the Bhopal tragedy as the world’s biggest industrial pollution disaster, the day is a platform to spread awareness. Describing environmental protection as essential for man, nature and society, it emphasizes factors of pollution such as factory emissions, vehicle smoke, plastic waste and control measures such as plantation, recycling, clean energy. –IANS MT/ABM