Coughing, vomiting, severe eye irritation and a feeling of suffocation were the initial effects. People awakened by these symptoms tried to escape and ran. While running, they inhaled more of this toxicant killer gas and died and those who survived living nothing less than a life of a dead man. 

Among many factors leading to the disastrous impact of gas leak includes, location of the plant near to a densely populated area, no security plans in place to meet such a disaster, inadequate health care centres, use of hazardous chemicals (MIC) instead of less dangerous ones etc.,  Most importantly, the safety systems said to have switched off to save money—(at the cost of lives of people) including the MIC tank refrigeration system which alone would have prevented the disaster.

The real culprit Mr. Anderson, the then Chairman of the killer pesticide plant Union Carbide could manage to flown away.  Even after a trial lasting for more than two decades, the judicial system of land has failed to name the real culprit.  Since the law of the land has no stringent provisions to deal with these situations, even if the real culprit is brought and booked we need not expect more than a two years imprisonment for him (with these weak sections of law}.

The survivors of the tragic incident were once again betrayed.  Their hopes of justice were shattered.  The compensation packages have not yet reached those who need.  The confidence of the common man in the system is shattered.

The immediate ramifications of these failures, the Government was forced to rethink on the nuclear power plant issue, in the wake of this pronouncement. 

Confidence building measures have to be taken up forthwith, with genuine rehabilitation of those affected within a time frame besides punishing the real culprits adequately by making stringent provisions to the laws, to instill confidence in the minds of the common folk.

Our Governments are neither proactive nor reactive.  They are just lethargic.