Giaspura tragedy: NGT probe panel to meet on May 8
Chandigarh, May 5
The fact-finding joint committee constituted by National Green Tribunal (NGT) to look into the Giaspura gas leak tragedy at Ludhiana will be meeting on Monday (May 8).
This eight-member committee is likely to complete its task of finding the reasons for the gas leak within a month. As many as 11 persons have died in the incident that occurred on April 30.
The committee is headed by Chairman of Punjab State Pollution Control Board. “All relevant information about the gas leak incident and our findings so far will be shared with the committee,” Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Surbhi Malik told The Tribune.
Three reports have so far been submitted by Ludhiana DC to Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, KAP Sinha. Of these, the final report says that prima facie, “sewer gas” [Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) and Carbon Monoxide (CO)] was found to be in high concentration at the tragedy site, much beyond the permissible limits.
Sinha today said that the NGT-constituted technical committee would determine the source of the gas leak. Citing the reports received by him, he said that no mention of industrial effluent discharge in the area has been made in the reports.
The report, titled as final report, says “The members of the technical committee of officials visited the affected area and inspected the three buildings where the incident had happened. The committee — in its report submitted on May 1 — observed that these buildings have very less or no provision of cross-ventilation. One drainage vent was found inside a room of the building of Aarti Clinic.”
Malik said an interim report has been submitted by the PPCB regarding the industrial units operating in Giaspura.
