GPCB to ONGC: Pay Rs 50 lakh for damage

SURAT: In the wake of death of 25 camels in Vagra taluka of Bharuch district, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has directed Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) to pay an environmental damage compensation of Rs 50 lakh. The GPCB that conducted the preliminary investigation found leakage in ONGC pipeline.
“ONGC has been ordered to pay an environmental damage compensation of Rs 50 lakh and undertake remediation to control the damage to the environment,” said a GPCB official.
However, it is yet not clear yet if the camels died due to intake of the contaminated water mixed with the leaked oil from the ONGC pipeline.
“We will have to wait for the forensic science laboratory and veterinary doctor’s reports to confirm the exact cause of death. But ONGC has been ordered to take action for the environmental damage caused by the leakage,” said a senior GPCB official.
“A puddle of around 80*30 metre in size was created at the spot. ONGC has been asked to clear the waste, remove the soil and carry out remediation of the soil. They have been instructed to ensure that such an incident does not get repeated,” the official added.
Carcasses of 25 camels were found at the spot after they consumed the contaminated water in the open land near Chanchvel and Kachhipura villages. Around 77 camels of Rehman Jat alias Kachhi had been taken out by village boys for grazing when some of the camels took the contaminated water. The camels sat in the puddle as well.