Seeds Intimate Apparel unit to seek legal opinion over NGT fine in AP

VISAKHAPATNAM: Seeds Intimate Apparel Pvt Ltd has decided to seek legal opinion to challenge the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order in suo motu proceedings initiated by it against Seeds Intimate Apparel Pvt Ltd (Seeds) and Porus India Pvt Ltd located at Atchutapuram SEZ.

The proceedings were initiated to investigate and assign responsibility for two separate incidents of suspected gas leaks that took place in June and August 2022, that had caused breathing distress in workers, who were exposed to the gas.

Seeds officials, in a statement here on Saturday, said the order passed by the NGT on January 18 held Seeds accountable for the incidents by ruling that there is no need to analyse scientific evidence, as was deemed necessary by the expert committee. A fine of Rs 10 crore was imposed on the apparel unit.

Of the total sum, the management of the apparel unit was directed to pay `5 crore as compensation to 539 employees who were affected by the gas leaks. The NGT constituted a joint committee of nine members, including three experts, to ascertain the cause of the incidents. The committee conducted a thorough preliminary review during, which Seeds fully cooperated, provided all available information, including the CCTV camera footage of the area, where the incidents occurred.

A report was submitted to the NGT by the committee and the same was inconclusive regarding the source of the leaks. The committee unanimously recorded that there is a need to conduct a separate and in-depth study of all industrial activities of all units located within 1 km radius of Seeds, in order to understand and assess possible scenarios, which caused the incidents of suspected gas leaks and sought four months’ time to conduct the study, it said.

The order passed by the NGT on January 18 held Seeds accountable for the incidents by ruling that there is no need to analyse scientific evidence. Seeds is now seeking legal advice regarding the course of action to be pursued to appeal against the NGT order, it said.