Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday held a prayer meet with the leaders of different religions to pay tributes to the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy on its 38th anniversary, where he said the "mistake and carelessness" of Union Carbide company caused an "unforgettable" disaster that claimed human lives on a large scale.

He also called for the need to maintain a balance between development and environment.Toxic gas leaking from Union Carbide's pesticide factory killed thousands in Bhopal on the chilly and dreadful night of December 2-3, 1984.

It is considered to be one of the worst industrial disasters in the world.

The all-religion meet was held at Barkatullah Bhawan, where the participants observed a two-minute silence in remembrance of the victims.

"If a life is lost due to human mistake, it is tragic...The mistake, negligence and carelessness of Union Carbide caused loss of human lives," Chouhan said on the occasion.

The lives of hundreds of innocent children and young people were lost. People ran frantically after the gas leak.

The tragedy that took place 38 years ago is unforgettable, he was quoted as saying in a government statement.

"We have to learn a lesson from Bhopal (gas tragedy). Each one of us should work with responsibility. Those who do not work responsibly should be punished," he said, adding that it was wrong to play with nature.

Batting for sustainable development, Chouhan said there was a need to strike a balance between development and environment.

"It is not right to destroy nature for development. River pollution is on the rise everywhere. If we do not care, (global) warming will rise. Exploitation of nature causes imbalance," he said.

The Bhopal gas tragedy is a message to us. We should make use of nature prudently and stop exploiting it to an alarming level, Chouhan added.

"The thought that the earth is for everyone has gained currency. The earth is getting polluted. We should save the earth and rivers. Natural resources are getting poisoned. That is why there is a need to strike a balance between development and environment. Human beings should not cross their limits as doing so is dangerous," the chief minister said.He urged people to take steps towards saving the environment keeping in mind the future generation.