Two containers carrying Union Carbide's waste ‘missing’, two held for spreading rumours

Pithampur (Madhya Pradesh), Jan 7
Two people have been arrested for spreading erroneous rumours that two out of 12 container trucks carrying hazardous waste of Union Carbide's factory were missing from Pithampur's Ramky factory, Dhar district collector Priyank Mishra said on Monday.

He said miscreants spread rumours through their social media posts to mislead the people on this sensitive issue, despite the clear instructions issued from district administration not to spread wrong information that may lead to violence.

"Two people have been arrested for spreading rumour about missing of two containers from Ramky factory. Which is completely false and misleading information shared on social media accounts. Strict action will be taken against those found spreading rumours," Mishra said.

He further stated that heavy security has been deployed at Ramky factory's premises for the safety of people as many people attempting to reach place where containers are parked.

"Security has been deployed to ensure that no one can reach the containers. It is for the safety purpose, and not to provide security to the Ramky factory. All 12 containers are parked at the premises of the Ramky factory, and they will be opened only under the direction of the High Court," Mishra said.

Notably, all 12 containers loaded with over 337 metric tonnes of hazardous chemical waste from the site of the Bhopal gas tragedy, are parked at premises of the Ramky factory in tight security by state police. The containers reached Pithampur early morning on January 2. The state government in a status report submitted to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday said public outcry has emerged due to certain fictitious media reports wherein baseless rumours have been floated with various sections of media.

Observing the situation, the Court ordered the media to not publish any fake news or misinformation regarding the disposal of Union waste material at the Pithampur facility. The Court also granted six weeks to the state government to comply with its directions regarding the disposal of Union Carbide's hazardous waste and has fixed the next hearing on February 18.