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South Korean company LG Polymers India has absolute liability for the loss of life and public health in the gas leak incident at its plant in Visakhapatnam, the NGT has said while directing that the interim penalty of Rs 50 crore would be spent on compensation to the victims and the restoration of environment.
The National Green Tribunal directed that a restoration plan be prepared by a Committee comprising two representatives each of the Environment Ministry and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and three representatives of Andhra Pradesh government.
The NGT also junked the company’s plea seeking review of its May 8 order slapping on it the Rs 50 crore interim penalty saying that it is justified in taking suo motu cognisance of the matter.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that final calculation of compensation may be assessed by a committee comprising representatives of Ministry of Environment Ministry, CPCB and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.
‘In view of the stand of the state pollution control board and the company that it will not recommence its operation without requisite statutory clearances, we direct that if any such statutory clearances are granted and the Company proposes to recommence, this aspect must be brought to the notice of this tribunal so that compliance of law is ensured,’ the bench said in its June 1 order uploaded today.
The NGT asked MoEF to constitute an Expert Committee to suggest ways and means to revamp monitoring mechanism to check and prevent violation of environmental norms and preventing any such recurrence in future in any of the establishments dealing with hazardous chemicals.
