Bhopal: NGOs working in support of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims today asked the Centre to reject the reported offer of Dow Chemicals to pay for safe disposal of toxic waste stored at Union Carbide factory here if its legal liabilities are waived.

Alleging efforts by the American multinational to "deal" with its liabilities in Bhopal, the groups claimed that Dow has recently written to several departments "offering to clean up the toxic waste on the condition that the Indian government waives of its legal liabilities."

"Indian government must not waive liabilities against Dow Chemicals. The Centre betrayed the victims in the 1989 settlement with Union Carbide (now a unit of Dow) and they will not tolerate another betrayal," Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karamchari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha and Bhopal Group for Information and Action said in a statement here.

More than 25,000 people have been drinking the water contaminated by toxic waste "recklessly dumped" at the Union Carbide factory and facing grave health hazards, they said. Toxic contamination of soil and ground water due to chemicals from the industrial waste was exposed in 1990.

The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board and Public Health Department also confirmed the presence of toxic chemicals in ground water, they said. The Centre for Rehabilitation Studies had confirmed last year that residents in the vicinity of the factory have higher rates of disease related to skin, eye, lungs and abdomen.