BHOPAL: Victims of India's 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy met Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday and called for toxic waste from the pesticide factory site to finally be cleared up.

Hundreds of residents, including survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster, marched through the city of Bhopal during Chidambaram's visit, which coincided with World Environment Day.

The plant leaked toxic gas into neighbouring slums, killing thousands instantly and tens of thousands more over the following years.

The accident was blamed on operators Union Carbide, a US chemical group later bought by Dow Chemical.

“Nearly 20,000 metric tonnes of toxic waste is lying in the open in Bhopal, posing a health hazard to locals,” activist and campaigner Nawab Khan said.

“Nobody is now concerned with how to dispose of the toxic chemicals.” Many experts believe that the accident and the presence of toxic waste has resulted in a high prevalence of birth defects and illnesses among successive generations of people living near the plant.—AFP