The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed an AIIMS panel, formed by the Centre after a gas leak at Tughlaqabad depot led to hospitalisation of over 450 school children, to submit its report on the impact of the incident.
A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the panel of experts led by Y. K. Gupta, the head of the Pharmacology Department at AIIMS, to mention as to who all were affected due to the leak and whether any person was suffering from any serious illness post the leak.
It also asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests to state whether containers carrying toxic material should be permitted in Tughlaqabad, located in the heart of the city, and why the location of the depot shouldn’t be changed to “some other appropriate place”.
‘Ticking bomb’
The panel had earlier said that residents of Tughlaqabad were “sitting on a [ticking] bomb” and opined that the inland container depot should be relocated. The panel has also impleaded the Customs and Excise Department as party in the case and directed them to file their reply on the issue before May 29.
“We direct all the parties in the case to specifically state whether the leaked substance was covered under environmental laws and the Manufacture, Storage and import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989,” it said.
