NEW DELHI -- Violent demonstrations and two attempted self-immolations last week in the industrial town of Pithampur in protest of the transferring of toxic waste from Bhopal 250 kilometers away have led an Indian high court to halt local authorities' plans.
A gas leak from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal 40 years ago killed over 5,400 people in the world's largest industrial accident. Last month, Indian authorities ordered the removal of the residual toxic waste from Bhopal for disposal in Pithampur, where it has been put in storage at an incinerator facility.
