The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt the incineration of toxic chemical waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy site, being carried out at a private disposal company in Pithampur town of Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, Live Law reported.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma was hearing a plea by a social activist demanding that the Supreme Court should urgently hear a petition challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court order from March 27.

The High Court had then granted the state government 72 days to dispose of the waste collected from Bhopal’s Union Carbide factory by incinerating it at the designated facility in Dhar.

The activist’s counsel on Wednesday requested that the case be heard urgently, pointing out that the 72-day period would end on June 8, the Hindustan Times reported.

However, the Supreme Court refused to list the matter urgently, or stay the High Court order, Live Law reported. The case will be heard after the court vacation

Sharma, one of the judges who heard the case on Wednesday, said: “For how many years we are fighting with that waste? [I know because] it's from my state.”

He was further quoted as saying by Live Law: “You have made all attempts...all these NGOs, all these so-called social activists...High Court is monitoring it...I know it for certain.”

The judge said that the incineration process is taking place under the supervision of expert bodies.

The waste is the result of an accident that occurred in December 1984, when methyl isocyanate and other toxic gases leaked from the pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Limited in Bhopal.

More than five lakh persons were exposed to the toxic gases and at least 4,000 were killed as a result in the ensuing days. Government data suggests that there have been 15,000 deaths as a result of the disaster over the years.

On December 3, which is the anniversary of the gas tragedy, the High Court had set a four-week deadline to shift the waste from Bhopal to Pithampur, criticising the authorities for not clearing up the accident site despite directions from the Supreme Court.

On January 2, about 307 tons of hazardous waste from the Union Carbide factory was delivered to the Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, in 12 leak-proof and fire-resistant containers.

The arrival of the waste in Pithampur was met with outrage by residents and activists. On January 3, two men sustained injuries after immolating themselves in protest.

The incineration process began at a disposal plant at the site on May 5. Madhya State Pollution Control Board Regional Officer Srinivas Dwivedi told PTI that the process would take 50 to 55 days.

Also read: Why a town in MP is resisting the plan to treat toxic waste from Bhopal’s Union Carbide plant