Ludhiana gas leak incident: NGT panel visits Giaspura locality

Ludhiana, May 8

An eight-member fact-finding panel of the National Green Tribunal Monday visited the Giaspura locality where 11 people were killed last month after inhaling toxic gas that emanated from a sewer.

The panel was led by Punjab State Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Chairman Adarsh Pal Vig.

It has the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, the Municipal Corporation Commissioner, a nominee of the director of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, the regional director (north) Central Pollution Control Board, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow, and a nominee of National Disaster Response Team (NDRF) as its other members.

Eleven people were killed after inhaling toxic gas in the thickly-populated Giaspura area here on April 30.

The NGT had earlier directed the Ludhiana District Magistrate to give Rs 20 lakh each to the families of the 11 victims.

After a preliminary meeting at Sherpur Chowk here Monday morning, the NGT panel proceeded to meet a few witnesses, and relatives and friends of the victims, and examined the spots from where poisonous gas leaked.

The panel visited the house of Kavilash, who was killed in the tragedy with four members of his family.

The team also visited the shop of another victim, Sourav Goyal who owned the provision store where some people who had come to buy milk fainted.

Vig later in the day told media it was a preliminary meeting of the panel and it would submit its report soon.

He appealed to the public to meet the committee if they have any piece of information regarding the incident.