An Overview of the Law Governing Hazardous Substances in the Post-Bhopal Era

The Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 forced the state to rethink to improve the environment and to prevent hazards to human beings and the ecosystem. The central government amended the Factories Act of 1948 correcting its inadequacies in order to protect the workers and to control industrial hazards. The scope of the Government of India’s Rules on the Manufacture, Storage, Import of Hazardous Chemicals (1989), Government of India Rules on Hazardous and Other Wastes(Management and Transboundary Movement 2016) are critically evaluated emphasizing import export restrictions. The Public Liability Insurance Act 1991 and The National Green Tribunal Act (2010) are inter alia objectively examined.