Dahej chemical unit blast: NGT slaps Rs 25cr penalty

Surat: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped an interim penalty of Rs 25 crore on Dahej-based Yashashvi Rasayan Private Limited where a blast killed 10 people and injured 52 others last week. The environment watch dog has also sought to examine the failure of the concerned statutory authorities in taking necessary preventive and safety measures.
A bench of headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, while hearing the case filed by Surat-based NGO, Aryavrat Foundation, set up a six-member committee to probe the incident at Yashashvi Rasayan Private Limited on June 3. The probe report is to be submitted within a month.
“The company may deposit Rs 25 crore with the district magistrate of Bharuch within 10 days. The district magistrate will make a disbursement plan considering safeguards to ensure that the amount reaches to the beneficiaries and is not misappropriated by any intermediary,” the bench ordered.
The six-member probe committee is headed by Justice B C Patel, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court and comprises of representative of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, representative of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), head of chemical engineering department of IIT Gandhinagar, representative of NEERI and representative from National Institute of Disaster Management, IIPA campus New Delhi.
The bench stated that district magistrate of Bharuch and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) will be providing logistic support to the committee to enable their fact-finding and report. The committee will submit report on the sequence of events, causes of failures and persons and authorities responsible, extent of damage to life among others.
The company is strictly liable for the damage caused to the human lives, health, property and the environment in violation of the environmental norms, particularly the mandate of 1989 rules, the Chemical Accidents (Emergency, Planning and Prepardeness and Response) Rules, 1996 and the circular issued by the CPCB, observed the bench.
Raj Panjwani, advocate of Aryavrat Foundation told TOI, “The bench has directed the chief secretary of Gujarat to identify and take appropriate action against persons responsible for failure of the law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances within two months and give a report to the tribunal.”
Meanwhile, Bharuch district Congress committee demanded a criminal complaint against the promoters of Yashasvi Rasayan. The party unit submitted a memorandum to Bharuch collector stating this demand.
Nazu Fadwala, spokesman of Bharuch Congress said, "We have demanded the company promoters should be booked under IPC sections. There are hundreds of industries handling hazardous chemicals without proper safety for which the managements are responsible."