Green Court NGT Asks Firms To Pay Compensation To Victims Of Andhra Leak Incidents

The National Green Tribunal Tuesday directed two companies to pay interim compensation within two weeks to the victims of separate gas leak incidents in Andhra Pradesh.

In one case, two workers were killed and four hospitalised after Benzimidazole the gas leaked at Sainor Life Sciences factory in Parwada area in Visakhapatnam.

In the second incident, ammonia gas leak accident at Nandyal in Kurnool district in SPY Agro Industries on June 26 resulted in the death of one person and injured three workers.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted that while a compensation of Rs 35 lakh each has been given in respect of the two victims in the first case, no compensation has been paid to the injured already identified.

"Such compensation has to be paid by the Occupier company. We fix interim compensation to be Rs 5 lakh for each of the four injured. An amount of Rs 20 lakh be deposited with the District Magistrate, Visakhapatnam within two weeks from today failing which the amount be recovered by the District Magistrate using coercive means," the bench said.

The District Magistrate may disburse the amount directly to the injured by transferring it to their bank accounts.

It also constituted a committee comprising representatives of Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board, District Magistrate, Visakhapatnam, V Rama Chandra Murthy, Andhra University, Vizag and Pulipati King, Head of Chemical Engineering Department, Andhra University, Vizag to assess final compensation to the victims and for restoration of the environment and suggestions for precautions in future.

The committee may give its report within three months by e-mail and it may visit the site, consider the view point of management, workers or any other stakeholders, the tribunal said.

In the second incident, the green panel directed that Spy Agro to deposit Rs 15 lakh as an interim compensation for the heirs of the victim and Rs 5 lakh each for the injured to the District Magistrate, Kurnool within two weeks from today, if no compensation has so far been paid or lesser compensation than this amount has been paid.

"On failure, the District Magistrate may recover the amount by coercive measures. The amount may be disbursed to the heirs of the deceased and the injured by direct transfer to their accounts," the bench said.

It also asked the committee to enquire into this matter and give its report.

In a similar incident, leakage of Styrene on May 7 from a chemical factory owned by South Korean company -- LG Polymers India Pvt Ltd, R.R. Venkatpuram village, Pendurthy Mandal, Vishakhapatnam -- had resulted in death of 11 people.