Bhopal, March 19 (IANS) The representatives of the survivors of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984 ended their 14-day-old hunger strike here late Monday following a written assurance of the Madhya Pradesh government that their genuine demands would be fulfilled soon.

"The decision to end the fast and the 27-day-long dharna (sit-in) was taken after the state government accepted key demands and District Collector S.K. Mishra, authorised by Chief Minister (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) to look into our problems, handed over a written response to each of the demands raised by us," said Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group of Information and Action (BGIA), an organisation working for the cause of the gas victims.

The agitation, in which many gas-survivors' organisations joined, was to press the state government to ensure that the toxic waste is not allowed to contaminate surrounding areas and the survivors are provided safe drinking water, as directed by the Supreme Court.

They were also demanding healthcare and economic rehabilitation for thousands of people affected by toxic fumes of lethal Methyl Iso-Cyanate (MIC) that emanated on the night of Dec 2, 1984 from the now-defunct Union Carbide plant, killing more than 3,000 people instantly and maiming thousands others for life. More than 15,000 affected people have since died.