Following recommendations made by a NGT-appointed committee, the National Green Tribunal has directed Oil India Limited to disburse compensation ranging from ₹2.5 lakh to ₹25 lakh to those affected by the oil well blowout in Assam’s Tinsukia district in May this year.
Noting the report furnished by the committee, a Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said, “The recommendations of the committee on the subject of compensation for three categories of victims are accepted with the clarification that the compensation already paid will be taken into account and excluded from the interim compensation.”
According to the report, victims have been classified into three categories — those whose houses have been completely gutted by the fire, those whose houses have been severely damaged and those whose houses have been moderately or partially damaged or those whose standing crops and horticulture have been partially damaged.
The green panel specified that compensation to the victims will be disbursed subject to identification by the district administration.