By IANS,
London: The 2012 London Olympics Organisers said Dow Chemicals would remain as one of the sponsors of the Olympic Games, despite the resignation of Meredith Alexander, one of the 12 members of the Commission for a Sustainable London, on the issue.
Dow Chemicals is the parent company of Union Carbide, which has been held responsible for the death of around 3,000 people and permanent disability to many more thousands during the 1984 gas leak at its plant in Bhopal.
Meredith quit her unpaid post Wednesday, live on BBC’s Newsnight over the controversial seven million pounds deal with the chemical giant.
“It is appalling that 27 years on, the site has still not been cleaned up and thousands upon thousands of people are still suffering. I believe people should be free to enjoy London 2012 without this toxic legacy on their conscience,” Alexander was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton, however, reiterated Thursday that it would not budge from its stance to award the Games contract to Dow.
“It is absolutely her right to resign. She is one of 12 members of that sustainability commission who signed off on the way we approached awarding the wrap to Dow. I think that it is great that we have got this independent function to oversee so all this is washed through transparently. I think that is fine but we are moving on,” he said.